The Scooby Gang Book 3: Second Draft
by rocky-griffin-az
Summary: M/FFFF The Gang must contend with the doors they have to different realities. The wall first utilized no longer works. The Joyce will be working from Grayson Space in an effort to harvest Naqahdah from the local asteroid field, ripe with heavy metals.
1. Harry Potter, Stargate, Honor Harrington

The Scooby Gang

Book III: Settling In

Disclaimer: I have no property rights to any published or copyrighted material that is reserved to those that make money from ideas which I do not.

Summery: The third book on the now dimensionally stranded Scoobies. With the manor stuck in Yellow Space they utilize the doors to have a life outside the manor as the group grows closer to finding their personal place in multiverse.

Sequel to '_The Scooby Gang Book 1'_ and _'The Scooby Gang Book 2'_

Warning: Multi Ship M/FFF ahead!

Crossovers: Harry Potter, Stargate, Honor Harrington, and Highlander

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Previously on: _The Scooby Gang Books 1_

The Powers That Be have had their plans to control, murder, and finding allies to fight the Scoobies thrashed for the last six months, ever since January of 1998 things have spiraled into darker and darker waters.

The plan to have Angel loose his soul to Buffy birthday romp was waylaid and Janna's Gypsy Clan were able to add another layer of the curse which triggers the heart to beat with life whenever it wanes or weakens rather than releasing the soul.

Xander ensured Angel was safe after Buffy's slayer portents concerning his possible demise, for Buffy's sake, and in the process starts to unite with him against the adversity and eventually trusts him enough to put him 'under' vampire hypnosis to verify Dawn's former status as 'ignored' was natural or unnatural.

Dawn's ignored status until now was due to the Powers' plans and a temporally placed key in human form.

Cordelia and Willow explore their new 'friendship' and talk about how they feel about Xander. The decision is made to share him and entice him into an open relationship to avoid the hurt that both feel the potential for in Xander and it allows them to realize their own sexual tension. Dawn and then Kendra are absorbed by the two's open sexually and Xander.

All is for naught with Powers' plans, they send bigbads after them in quick secession; things that were planed for slow confrontations over the next years were tossed into the melting pot and the Scoobies defeated them all but were still unable to anticipate their murder of Joyce.

Xander's talents surface as a runic master and possible fire mage, not to mention he has a blood connection to the Kalderash. An errant wish and a rebellious Demon Lord of Justice allow for Anyanka to download ten thousand years of runic knowledge into his head. Cordelia has a small magical core and a runic talent but is less focused on runes than Xander. Willow's a magical powerhouse and barely has any ability with runes at all. Dawn's magic is different and vast.

With Angel's killing of Glory, a hell goddess, the group decides to step up the timetable and set the wards, 'now' to ensure they don't somehow send Angel into a coma.

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_Book 2_

With LeVelle Manor displaced to between the realms due to Dawn's Talent strengthening the wards they must secure their human needs which they do mostly by utilizing runes. The only land mark of between is a large "Stem" that seems to be almost plant like and turning or they're orbiting. Unable to get back home they attempt to connect by means of a portal and Dawn's blood. The wall first connects to the Archway in the Department of Mysteries inside the Ministry of Magic. They spy with runic magic and then make some friends with students of Hogwarts and a traveler sent thru the Vail in a battle at the department.

The making of the first Doorway they plant one in LeVelle Manor and one in Grimmauld Place (Doorway 1), the headquarters of the order of the phoenix. Dawn's blood may not have been needed but it supplied a firm extra kick just in case.

The portal shifts and the new world is a Goa'uld world and they rescue a Goa'uld victim of a sadist rapist. Egeria stays with them as part of their family and they rob the Goa'uld blind and do some damage before the portal shifts again leaving no way back to that realm.

The future world with antigun laws and advances methods of mater conversion is the second doorway (Doorway 2) to be set up. They set up an estate utilizing some of the technology Egeria pilfered from her world.

The Hogwarts kids are staying at the Manor and helping out. They start to explore their own relationships without the common limitation of monogamy, following Xander's example.

The next time the portal shifts it is to an ugly world, a machine world. They save and adopt a survivor named Eric Connors and seed a good portion of the area around the portal with blocks that dampen all electricity. They don't leave a doorway there.

The next shifting of the portal is to an Earth that is in the year 4002 AD and they explore a bit. They manage to use some of the technology the have from the other realms and eventually make it to the Star Kingdom of Manticore, the best choice they could find to offer any form of alliance with. They set the doorway for this realm on the ship they procure (Doorway 3).

The portal shifts again and a fairly normal and modern world but lacks any demons or aliens, or even immortals, as far as they can tell. However they find out that it has a Chappa'ai because Egeria can feel it when it is working. They set up a forth Doorway (Doorway 4) here.

The portal shifts again and they go to a world that they never left and it is two years later. They explore the differences at party for the Dawn that had not been born for three and half years after she was in their world. They set up a doorway here as well, (Doorway 5).

Through Doorway 1 Immortals are revealed to the group, the wizarding world ends their war with deatheaters, the new year at Hogwarts starts, and using the advanced technology from the Doorway 3 to help the immortals, Amanda and Duncan, produce offspring.

Technology is shared with Manticore and the group is on their way to an area that is sure to have Naquadah in it.

The party to celebrate Dawn's birthday, the younger one from the newest Door, they get sent way from the stem like large thing. Will the Doors still work? The portal is dead.

Chapter 1: Grayson

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LeVelle Manor

The yellow and red glow of the exterior of the wards was different, not that it was easy to tell that it was different but the blotches were to some degree different. There was nothing but the yellow and red glow out there. The group spent almost and hour combing the entire horizon as far as they could north and sought of the horizon from the edge of the wards. They could not find what they called the stem anywhere in the vacuum expanse.

With Dawn's warning Xander verified that the wall portal which had changed constantly was no longer working and then checked the door's just to verify if they were working on not.

With a sigh of a relief at being able to step thru the doors he couldn't help but think, _**'At least these are still working.'**_

The others were still examining the expanse when he returned outside. The birthday girl was more interested in finding the stems then opening presents.

"You know" Xander spoke up, "I almost suspected this would happen as soon as we found that the doorways were stable after the portal wall shifted."

Cordelia stepped out of the manor with a tray of sodas and glasses containing ice, she lifts a curious eyebrow, "Why is that dear?"

The visiting analogue of Cordelia looked at her 'twin' with incredulity. Cordy had been busy being a good host she wasn't going to let the birthday party get waylaid, but Cordelia wasn't looking at Cordy for that reason so much as the 'dear' part of her question. Dawn and Dawnie however were exchanging smiles at the easily used term of endearment.

Xander ignored the looks from the three and shrugs, "I'm not sure. It's just… well, ironic is all."

Willow giggles, it took a moment to realize she was the Willow from the recent Sunnydale, the slightly older less sexually experienced Willow.

When the others turn, directing their attention to her, she eeps blushes, and earns a glare from her slightly younger twin. The Willow from the manor hated the way she sounded when she giggles and the mousy eeps were worse still.

The giggling Willow notices her doubles glare and asks defensively, "What?"

Cordelia glanced over from her spot next to Xander and at the two Willows and sternly tells them both, "Behave Willow!"

Willow the glaring one half glared at her then sniffed. The giggling older Willow shrugged.

"You know" Dawnie, the younger Dawn stated agitated, "It is getting ridiculous that we have the same names!"

Dawn nodded agreement with her semi twin. "Right, you're younger so you are dubbed Dawnie."

There was a smirk as Dawnie froze.

The host of the manor stated, "I'll be Cordy!"

The Willow from the Manor nods at her Cordelia, agreeing, "You are younger. I'll be Will, as I'm younger."

Buffy frowns, "I don't want to change my name."

It was much more difficult to differentiate between the Buffys, but it was obvious that she was the Buffy from the manor because she was being petulant about the different names.

"Buff" Xander teases and offers a teasing smile, "We could call you Naked-Often?"

She widens her eyes and glares at Xander with no malice; her voice was slightly husky and flirty, "Not unless you want me to _be_ naked often."

The other Buffy glares at her, "Hey, stop flirting with Xander, my Xander might get ideas."

Xander L smirks at her asking with an 'oh so innocent' tone, "He's your Xander, huh?"

The elder Buffy flushes and Buffy giggles at her 'twin'. "Don't knock it 'til you've passed out after twenty-some orgasms."

Buffy widens her eyes and glances at the younger and fitter Xander.

Xander LeVelle shrugs and offers some pleased self depreciation, "Some of those were from Kendra and Cordelia."

Cordy huskily intones, "Not very many, but I did notice she has this thing about talking dirty…" She was grinning as both Buffys flush.

Riley smiled widely and Buffy smacks his arm and says, "Don't!"

Riley nodded once with a grin still on his face.

"Xander is Xander, and can never be anything but. You can call me LeVelle if you must but only when there are two of me."

The other Xander nods, "And you can call me Harris."

Xander LeVelle winces at that name. Though it was common enough to not be directly associated with the Presidency of Haven, he had the itching feeling that the Manticore Realm's Xander Harris had been an ancestor of the Harris Administration if nothing else to support the perversity of the multiverse.

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After the party, Dawn took the Cordelia from LA to _The Joyce_. It was too difficult to move the medical devices and Dawn just didn't know enough about them to move them and set them up again. She was still running the scanning and programs by instructions, even the _Prolong_ gene therapy, which was basically a shot and then some time later some treatment by way of some interactive signals and scans which only took about five minutes to ensure they were working properly.

A hand held scanning device was easily able to work with the main scanner and Cordelia Chase of LA had been interested in having a 'medical checkup' when it was mentioned for everyone. Dawn was not a doctor but the most familiar with the devices and what she was seeing was not a good thing.

When they were alone Cordelia shares, "It's the visions, they're like causing this blinding pain when I get them and then I get migraines a bit more often afterwards."

Dawn nods, understanding, and tells her, "There is some minor damage but I could see it getting progressively worse if left untreated. And that is _if_ you stopped having the visions. I'm just now learning most of these but I can see if I can set up some nanobots to constantly repair the damage in the area."

Cordelia smiles with relief, "Thank you Dawn."

Dawn winces as she tells her, "But just to let you know, I don't think the visions are the direct cause of this damage. The visions, by what I have determined, come from a symbiotic creature that isn't demonic at all."

Cordelia was surprised, "Creature?"

"Yes." Dawn nods, "The visions aren't controlled by you but they _can_ be controlled by the Powers. I think that this damage is directly linked to the Powers. I don't know if this is intentional in their part or if they just prevent the creature from completely merging with you. I suppose we could have a magical healer check you over just to be sure and make sure the damage is healed properly. They might be able to help you merge with the symbiote properly."

"Alright, I'll see a healer… just… don't share this with my Angel."

Dawn grins at that possessive pronoun, "That depends. Are you going to share him?"

Cordelia had wide eyes. "Share him, with you?"

Dawn shakes her head. "No, I just want you to keep an open mind. Cordy would be so much less happy if she didn't have her Wills. I know Kendra isn't as into the girl on girl action as Cordy and Willow but I don't think you and Cordy are that different."

Cordelia sighs softly and bites her lip, "I don't know, I don't think I could trust Willow like that."

Dawn shrugs not being one to judge. "It doesn't need to be Willow and it doesn't need to be now. But I want to make sure that you'll keep an open mind when it comes to relationships. The reason I say this, is because the Angel here is a vampire. Vampires have a… nature…"

Dawn didn't know if that was the proper word for it, "He said once that it was unnatural for vampires to be monogamous. They can be utterly loyal but usually sex and blood and all that go hand in hand. I don't think Angel has slept with anyone but Buffy but he might in the future, and your Angel… you never know there might be a girl that you both like."

"Fine," she sniffs, "so long as you don't tell him that I was like dieing right?"

Dawn mischievously grins at her giving her a nod. "I won't say a word."

LA's Angel at the door turns from the med-lab door and flees. He had loads to think about.

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_The Joyce_ enters Yeltsin system and start to observe the local communication traffic. It takes a few hours to update their information on the local system as it was somewhat limited in the scope of things with other star nations and the league had no information on Yeltsin at all. The group settled down in the dinning room which had turned into more of a common room as of late. Several new pieces of the puzzle were filtering in these last two hours and they all wanted to know what to expect.

Egeria explains what she found, "This area of space, according to the local star charts, is called the Yeltsin System. Both Yeltsin and Endicott systems are loaded with heavy elements, mostly the more common metals, but if I'm right Naquadah is plentiful in this area."

It was almost as though Egeria was reluctant to accept the fact that it was plentiful herself. "Looking at the local tech level it is obviously behind Manticore or the League by quite a bit."

Xander gathers their attention with a gesture. "Socially they seem to be misogynic here. Women have fewer rights and considerations than most any other place. They're almost considered property and seen but not heard."

Incensed Buffy speaks up, "That's ridiculous!"

Xander gives his agreement and then morbidly adds, "Yes, it is. But then the Endicott system is even worse!"

At their incredulous looks he smirks and waits silently for one of them to break and ask how.

It wasn't just Buffy, and it wasn't just asked – _they_ shout out, "Worse!?"

Xander gives a firm single nod. "The Graysons have an undercurrent with their emotions concerning women folk. They might think of them as almost property but to them the women are the Life-Givers. They might not have the 'stability of man' but they are human and they deserve love, happiness, and above all, are a treasure to cherish as god's gift to man. The Endicott system doesn't believe that; they think of women as bringers of pain. The two used to be a united people. When they first settled it seems one segment of men were sympathetic to the mother's of their children and the other blamed them and that blame turned to hate. The other side believed their constantly pregnant women were in pain from constantly losing children and didn't need to endure any additional stress in life. You have to realize the amount of bad pregnancies these people suffered. The miscarriages quadrupled their surviving infants, easily."

They all suddenly nod. The idea that the issues socially had been so impacted by the circumstances hadn't previously occurred to them.

Xander continues thru their nodding, "The women folk need to be protected, looked after, and shown kindness in their extremely depressing grief. Endicott's planet is Masada. Masada's tendency to use women as the scapegoat grew, religiously. They go about punishing their women thinking that they are purging themselves of their sin by doing so. They'll go about slaughtering anyone, including babies in their crib, and claim they 'are about god's work'."

He shivered in disgust and said, "If there was ever a planet to glass over it would be Masada." He added after a moment's silence, "If I come across a Masada while we work around here, I kill him, without hesitation."

They all nod white faced.

"Do you remember that saying about eating paint chips as a kid makes you slow…" he said with a slight smile, "Masada didn't realize this and all of their ancestors really liked the paint chips. Grayson of course learned not to eat the paint chips at a heavy price; I think they still have medical issues due to heavy metals in their food, water, and even the air."

Wills hisses with utter shock, "No way!"

Xander grins and tells her, "They started out religious, so maybe it was on Earth when they ate paint chips, you know, as part of their religion?"

Seeing Xander smirk at her Wills giver out a groan.

Buffy was confused at her groan, "What?"

Willow sniffs, "He's going to constantly eat… I mean talk about them eating paint chips! You know they use to mix lead in with the paint to bring out color?"

Willow shakes her head, "They stopped when so many kids started to suffer from lead poisoning that affected their brains and…"

Buffy's giggle interrupts Will's words, evidently when she thought of it; she really thought it was funny, if a bit morbid.

Wills shakes her head and growls at him, "It's not right to make fun of people's homes, Xander!"

He sniffs, "I can make fun of anyone I want! Besides I'll stop when they stop acting stupid."

Willow grunts, "Fine!"

Turning to Egeria he tells her, "They have loads of processing stations along the asteroid belt." He then asks, "Is there any chance of checking them out to see if they have Naquadah in them?"

She nods with a smile. She knew that Xander wouldn't make fun of them to their face or as individuals but she could understand the ideas and uses of anyone undermining bad decisions.

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It wasn't a week after Dawnie's birthday that they had one for Tara; she was very shy, and for some reason, worried. Xander picked up on it right away and when he noticed she was skipping to the side he approached her.

"Tara, are you alright?"

She almost sighed with relief at getting caught. She was going to do a spell to stop them from seeing she was a demon but she wasn't sure the wards would let her anyway. She felt so safe here.

"Um…" she hesitates then tells him without stuttering, "I was going to cast a spell."

Xander raises an amused eyebrow. "You can if you want, I don't see any harm. It isn't in you to harm anyone here."

She flushes and stutters nervously, "It… I don't w…want them to see me as a- a demon!"

Xander frowns at feeling the real fear in her. Looking into her eyes she felt his brush and instead of closing up, she opened up so he could understand. His face almost went slack.

"Tara" he said softly, "you're not a demon and you're not going to turn into one. Why don't you go have fun? Trust me, the wards…?" he gestures. "They won't let you be hurt here, guaranteed!"

She felt the utter relief at his firm soft tones. She reaches over and kisses his cheek in thanks and never noticed the harsh look he had as he vanished out the door heading to Sunnydale with a few other things.

It didn't take long, Tara had seen her brother's in Sunnydale which was what made her start thinking they were telling the truth.

Finding them was simple; he'd paid attention to Wills' instruction on hacking into information databases that were suppose to be secure. Nobody was in the Sunnydale RV so he didn't have any hard questions to answer. He printed out the address for a local hotel that Jed Maclay had paid for with a credit card.

Five minutes later he'd had his confirmation, they were misogynists. Jed had killed Rose Maclay when he found out she was having another 'girl'. She'd been supposed to use that 'devil's' magic to insure she had a boy, but instead she'd used to make sure she had a girl. The fight was one sided as Rose had tried to protect her belly from any blows but it hadn't taken long to kill her. That was back in 97 and they'd been worried that Tara had seen it. They'd convinced her that she got her magic from her inner demon and that it would make itself known; only they could keep it at bay. The more he read in their minds the more he felt the rage.

Jed had two shots, then three; he was gone completely and the two boys stared at him in shock as he shot them both once. Xander used his elemental magic to scorch their crotches until they had nothing left to rape with, and would never be able to reproduce. He made sure to wipe down the prints and leave. The two boys would wake and call an ambulance. Neither one would say what happened to their father. They would leave town right away after that.

Returning to the RV he took a shower and headed back to the Manor. He knew he shouldn't have let his temper get to him but after seeing him get away with the murder of his wife, he had to deal with it, not just for that but to protect Tara and likely Willow.

He snuck back into the party and watched as Tara opened her gifts and as she looked up she smiled at him.

'_**Your family can't hurt you anymore, your dad paid for the murder of his wife and your unborn sister.'**_

She widened her eyes surprise and touched the collar she had on. _**'You didn't have to, Xander.'**_

'_**You're one of my girls, live with it.' **_He smirked and went towards the cake.

She blushed gently and smiled as she opened up the other gifts not letting the darkness of her father's deeds stain her life or the moment.

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It was Christmas season on Grayson, a few days prior to the actual holiday but still within the season. The timing differential for Christmas for the separate worlds was staggered – two weeks, six weeks, one week and then one week, or thereabouts. Michael Czajak had made his home thru Doorway 2, in Blasedale.

Blasedale had a few days until Christmas. Allen and Harriet had an additional week tacked on to wait. Of course it wasn't even the last week of October in Sunnydale and Hogwarts just had Halloween.

They found the Naquadah lining a number of heavy metals that was evidently being confused with waste and disposed of.

By chance the closest structure was Orbital Four and after they docked without much trouble, Xander approached the commanding officer.

"Commander Hill?" he asked. He'd known that was who he was looking for without asking but it was polite to ask.

The commander turned. "Do I know you?"

There weren't many people on the orbital right now, just a skeleton crew for the holiday. For Xander the name had come from the commander's mind as had the information about their orbitals. Xander hoped to get a good feel for him before anything happened.

Xander shook his head at the commander. "No. Xander LeVelle" he held out a hand and the Grayson shook it. "I'm not from Grayson but I'm looking for some raw materials that aren't being processed out of in your waste material." He gestures to the processing plant there in the orbital. "I'd like to make some arrangements to assist in the processing of your materials in exchange for keeping the element. I'm fairly sure I can increase your output by at least twenty-two percent. And that is on a bad day."

Hill lifts and eyebrow and replies honestly, "I don't think it is quite that simple."

Xander smiles as he'd felt the honesty and desire to accommodate him in the commander's mind.

Hill shrugs. "Tell you what. I'll send word to my Steadholder. You can hash out the agreement with him. I can tell you already that every job is taxed, so the processing would have to earn you money, and then you'd have to purchase the material you wished as a separate transaction. Perhaps you could process the material and sell it to us at slightly less cost. However…" he glances at the Star-Falcon Class Yacht, "it might be best to include some defensive or evacuation policies in there as well. Grayson has ships but if you're going to be here anyway…"

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Introduction to Steadholder Mayhew had been arranged quite quickly by Commander Hill. Evidently the Steadholder, a young man closer to Xander's age than Giles's, had a solid work ethic and wasn't yet married so was more then willing to work over the holidays. This is the man that made sure that the armsmen who took post during the holidays were unmarried. Commander Hill had been married and was greatly missing his wives and children but only worked every other Christmas to give his second in command the same holiday time he had.

Xander held out his hand, "Xander LeVelle."

'_**LeVelle isn't a Grayson name. I wonder what brought him to the Yeltsin System.' **_

The Steadholder shook Xander's hand. "What can I do for you Mr. LeVelle?" he asked, and then offers, "Commander Hill didn't say much."

Xander liked what he saw in the young Steadholder's mind, he hadn't been one of the Keys long, in fact he'd only back on Grayson for a year or so, and he was still going to be attending more studies off world.

"What the basics are?" Xander conditioned his response and received a nod. "Is that you are throwing away an element naturally found in your system that could be utilized by some technology LeVelle Industries is developing. I'd like to just take that throw-away unprocessed material off your hands. The problem arises as this would take your workers time and it wouldn't benefit you at all; so what I propose is a mutual beneficial program. I'll work with your men to advance the processing set up and reduce the average wasted product by at least twelve percent; that on the product side of things and not the waste side, so it isn't counting the element we're removing form the waste."

Mayhew looked surprised but waved him to the office. Xander knew the wave was a visual queue to the armsmen to stand down any overactive defensive measures and that he was taking a guest to his office. Armsmen in general varied on their listening in to the conversations of the Steadholder, it was best to have signals such as that to eliminate confusion. His brother had taught him that.

"I see what you're saying," Michael Mayhew said as they both entered the office. "I can even agree with it. However, what it would be in fact is much more complicated. First, as you are not a Grayson so we would need to set up a way to pay you, and tax the payment for your services and/or tax the payment for the product that is produced over and above the projected amount. The last is what I would prefer as we don't know if your system will speed up the process…" he pauses with hope displayed before he reluctantly adds, "or if it would slow it down. The element you are seeking would not be a problem but we would need to track how much and tax the sale of it."

Xander sighs, "I see."

He knew this was going to be how it was done after talking to Hill but he smiles giving his voice a tone of jest, "Paperwork is evil! You do realize that, right?"

Michael Mayhew laughs loudly. He'd told his brother much the same, "How long are you planning to stay Mr. LeVelle?"

"It depends on how much Naquadah we can actually harvest out of the processing and how helpful the techniques I use are for you Orbitals. I imagine anything I show Commander Hill will be shared with the other Orbitals. Perhaps even harvesting the Naquadah…"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Any new technique you develop will need to have a patent with official papers, registering it with LeVelle Industries. We need to register your company with the Steading and we'll do that this first week…"

The talk went on and Xander really wished he'd talked Frank into this. He hadn't even graduated High School and he was here now, doing what usually was done by those who had a degree in business. He felt like he was flying by the seat of his pants; or was it trousers now?

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	2. Animal's Work Ethic

The Scooby Gang

Book III: Settling In

Disclaimer: I have no property rights to any published or copyrighted material that is reserved to those that make money from ideas which I do not.

Summery: The third book on the now dimensionally stranded Scoobies. With the manor stuck in Yellow Space they utilize the doors to have a life outside the manor as the group grows closer to finding their personal place in multiverse..

Sequel to '_The Scooby Gang Book 1'_ and _'The Scooby Gang Book 2'_

Warning: Multi Ship M/FFF ahead!

Crossovers: Harry Potter, Stargate, Honor Harrington, and Highlander

CHAPTER 2: Animal's Work Ethic

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Hell week! That was the first week Xander worked with Grayson setting up all the hellish paperwork not to mention the installation of the different additions to the Orbital. It was only luck that most of the employees of Orbital Four had been away with the holiday calibrations because the skeleton crew made some of the physical changes for the Orbital Processing Plant much easier to for Xander to install. As far as the paperwork went he lucked out on that too because Frank was 'kind enough' to explain everything in detail so at least he understood what he was looking at now. Add to that there was a stress, the trips between Grayson and Orbital Four held a type of a mixed bag from a relief from the technical and manual labor or paper work, to an anticipation and anxiety of dealing with more paperwork in person without Frank to rely on.

It was near the middle of the second week of work that Giles broached a subject with Xander, "Xander?"

Xander looked up; he was reading a hand held pad that Egeria and Wills put together. Some of the databases Egeria had from the Ra infested world had quite a bit of information but it was all difficult to sort thru as if hiding technology was a part of every day life. The pad was a mix of that technology and the current technology Manticore and Beowulf had used. The subject matter was mostly on Naquadah and information on elemental processing from Blasedale.

His voice sounded as he caught Giles eyes, "Yea Giles?"

"Is there a reason you don't simply set up another Door to Grayson? I mean, I don't mind spending hours upon hours with you. This is the third trip this week. It might lessen when you're done setting everything up and find a rhythm but that won't be for another week at least. You might as well set up an apartment slash office there and leave a Door there."

The 'look' on Xander face had Giles fighting the inner Ripper to not burst out laughing. The young man looked a cross between constipated and like he wanted to slam his own head into the wall, hard… three or four times.

"Um, actually that's a good idea. I'll go talk to Dawn and set it up. I'm not sure if distance will matter but I don't think it will, especially if we use Dawn's blood like we did setting up the other Doorways." He paused by the door and looked back. "Just out of curiosity, how long have you had this idea and why didn't you share it earlier?"

Giles gulps at Xander's almost glare before he shrugs. "After flying here from Manticore, I thought it was too bad we didn't leave an additional Doorway on Manticore."

Xander sighs and nods on his way out of the bridge. Giles burst out laughing as soon as the young sod was out the door.

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The apartment was nice. He'd talked to Mayhew about it and the Steadholder liked the idea. It also was a way to have a local address for tax reasons. Setting it up took another day on Grayson and Xander was sure to add a rune to the collar to push away the heavy metals in the air so he didn't breathe them in.

Using the Door made him recall the VPs. Recalling how the scouts could be used to observe the gravity of the areas. The VPs weren't currently being used at all.

Xander spent an hour or so coming up with new methods of observation for the Scouts. The new scouts he'd named EG Scouts and had a wide gravimetric observation without any photonic refraction needed. In other words, it saw with gravity instead of light. The EG Scouts were all keyed to a large VP and had fewer joint controls. The reason it took so long to make was because these scouts were basically programmed to operate receptively with the same orbital pattern coordinated between the Yeltsin Star and each of the other scouts, meanwhile staying a distance away from any large gravimetric disturbance.

The advanced sensor net wasn't easily maintained, in fact Xander was halfway sure it was a flop because space was quite frankly too large to monitor it all and so he had to work at eliminating gravity sources that were constants. He left the Yeltsin Star, Grayson, and the platforms but the asteroid field made up of several billion asteroids needed to be individually cleared to see new gravities inside the asteroid field otherwise they were just a blur. The work was only able to be done by someone with a runes talent, he supposed the Hogwarts crowed might help with it but it was boring work that he'd do to just relax a bit. He really wished he could put it onto a computer and have the computer eliminate the asteroids and such.

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Having a regular work schedule on Orbital Four helped to provide some consistency for Xander which he'd felt the need for. Xander hadn't ever held down a job and this new exciting experience was one he enjoyed. With Egeria's help he'd fully understood what he was doing and the goal of what was accomplishing not to mention the technical know how and operation of the processing nods. He knew them inside and out, the limits and how to push them and that was on their inventiveness not all of the information came from the Goa'uld technology. There was mixed tech in the over all product from Goa'uld, and Blasedale, to even filched general information from the Solarian League.

As the month turned with Xander working on Orbital Four he found he wasn't the only one that found an outlet for their time. Kendra and Buffy had taken to Sunnydale during the week when Buffy was in school, at least the evenings. They'd found patrolling the areas Buffy didn't get to was a boon and because of this Sunnydale was becoming less of a vampire central than ever.

The fact that Xander wasn't there and Kendra, though she liked girls well enough preferred Xander there had nothing to do with pent up energy, nothing at all. Three days into the routine the duo of slayers had eliminated close to a hundred vampires from Sunnydale. They were talking about visiting LA thru the Doorways to patrol with Cordelia.

Xander was fairly sure when he heard about it that it was Buffy attempting to pull Kendra into a Shopping extravaganza. He didn't mind.

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Both the Giles were both sitting together sharing a whisky; it was one of the more expensive kinds. The elder Giles shares with a grin, "There is going to be a shortage of vampires on the Hellmouth this year."

A fond smile came to his younger self's face.

He adds, "I don't know if Buffy, my Buffy that is, will be all that appreciative until she realizes the lives that were saved."

"Yes, our own Buffy is that way as well. How is the rest of the group? I haven't seen Xander and Anya come to the manor much."

"Anya dislikes having two Xanders around and being unable to make the most of it, and she knows that she dislikes sharing so would be jealous of his harem."

Giles the younger chokes at the use of that word as they'd avoided it so far but evidently the word was out now, "Yes, I can see that. And of course your Xander would follow her lead on that."

He agrees on that and asks after, "How are Joyce and Dawnie settling in?"

"Joyce has taken to mothering Dawn much to Dawnie's thrill. I believe she finds the freedom a bit… liberating. Joyce always seems to know when Dawnie is up to something." He shakes his head. "I have observed the two and Dawnie is quite a bit more mischievous, a healthy young girl, but Dawn is much more mature than her age should allot. Then again she was ignored by everyone most of her life and had to learn her own limits and rely on her own understanding of things early on." He growls, "I curse the Powers that did that to her."

Giles nodded at Giles. "I can understand that." He took a sip of the whisky they were sharing. "I too noticed she was much more mature but is it truly because of her conditioning by the Powers, or because Xander stepped up into the role he had the potential to be in while encouraging her to do the same?"

"You bring an interested point."

The elder Sunnydale resident shrugs and adds another observation, "Recently the group faced a Frankenstein creation of demon, human, and a machine of all things!" he shook his head in disgust. "We did an adjoining spell, Xander's idea actually, and he was the heart of the group."

He smirks at the surprised look the other Giles had. "For the spell to work I would have to say it was an accurate description, and that means much more than they realize."

Giles looked at the elder, "For it to work? I take it that it _did_ work as you didn't say 'tried'."

"Oh yes, and it also brought us closer together. I can feel them at times in the magic. Well I could until your Xander gave us these wonderful straps of runic inscribed leather." He brushed his strap that was on his left shoulder. It was tasteful looking piece of apparel.

"I see, and you don't need the trumps to communicate I take it?"

"No, and I must also comment or ask; how do you know which one to communicate with?"

"Xander explained that to me. He shared that a major factor in the runic communication is intent. So long as you have a clear personal memory, then it will work as designed. It was one of the reasons the trumps don't work unless you've had physical contact with the actual person, not some video or communication relay of them. It also helps to have touched their mind; I noticed it was easier after the aspect of the demon. Have Buffy and Riley had their fight yet?"

He smirked and nodded. "Riley was taking meds still he'd received from _Walsh_." He'd spat the name. "It helped him build strength and speed but the damage it was doing wasn't a good thing, and the demonic poisons were building up. Even the treatment he was receiving on your ship wasn't enough to remove the demonic taint. She told him she didn't want to date demons anymore and that was the path he was taking. He's flushed the remainder of the pills down the toilet and is working with Tara and your Wills and Janna to help with a cleansing ritual. Willow is observing it as she has never done one and will do it after they have helped him cleanse his aura. Do I want to know what Tara and Xander spoke of on her birthday? She seems much more confident after that?"

"I don't know but he had a very pissed off expression on his face when he shared that Tara's family was no longer going to be an issue with their bothering her. He vanished for a few hours time to your world during her birthday celebration."

"I see. She didn't talk about it. Willow and Buffy seem to be tightlipped about what they know, even if Willow shared her worry about being asked to join his harem, much to Buffy's amusement. Buffy told me she wasn't sure if Willow was hoping for it or disparaging against it. Worse still Buffy was fairly sure Willow didn't know which either."

They both laugh at that.

"I don't think Xander invited them but I don't think he would turn them down either. I have come to believe that Xander, once he has claimed a girl, a young woman, as family, that he can never tell her no, unless it would cause harm to another of the girls he'd claimed as family."

He nods in agreement. "Our Xander hurt his standing and his friendships because of that, whereas your Xander turned that in to an asset."

"Oh it wasn't him, Miss Chase and Wills worked hard to do so" he licked his lips.

The older Giles blushed realizing what the younger Giles was saying.

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The processing station on Orbital Four had increased the output of materials by seventy-nine percent. The efficiency was increased by twelve percent on a pound by pound basis, or was it kilogram by kilogram. The Naquadah was pouring in but Xander was constantly tired as he felt had to monitor the newly installed processing nodes to check them against the handheld information and then check them again when they changed often making minor adjustments to improved the settings for the new changes. It was the end of the week before he had gotten a feel for it, by look alone and no longer needed the handheld to verify the settings configuration.

He wasn't alone in his daily work. He'd constantly been working with the others who'd returned from their Christmas holiday. They were mostly doing the labor but he didn't slouch on his share even if he wasn't paid to. That had worked in his favor, as it not only gave him a feel for the overall work, start to finish, but it also created some camaraderie and even a friendship.

"So speak up Xander, tell me about your women." One of the men, Tyler, was a bit more liberal than the others. He'd found a kindred spirit in Xander and became somewhat good friends with him as the weeks progressed. "You said you are not from Grayson, so how is that you have four wives?"

Xander sighs, "It really isn't like that. The planet I'm from didn't allow multiple spouses. So we had an agreement, a commitment that any planet would call marriage, but I got use to them being just 'my girls' and so when someone says wives I tend to freeze up a bit, don't want to end up in jail if you know what I mean?"

"I didn't think they were any planets like that left, some backwater mud-ball?" he asked glancing at the node Xander had installed, that sort of contradicted that idea.

"Maybe, but it was home. There is Cordelia, she's outspoken to the point that she can be darn right rude at times. She's very confident and has a tendency to take charge when she feels the need. Willow, this shy, petite, redhead, and very slow to anger, but don't piss her off. She also has this _Resolve_ _Face_ for when she feels strongly about something. She'll use it until you give in. She's the smartest person I know, and I've known some geniuses in my time. She's also the most vulnerable when it comes to emotions. She seems to sometimes take things out of context and is hurt this new definition that wasn't even close to what was meant. Kendra is very quite, she's seen and not heard but if you rile her she'd break any man in half, my-self included. She was instructed as a child and knows more about fighting then most ever could even with Prolong. Then there's Dawn."

He smiles slightly. "Dawn is younger than the others but she lost her mother before she became an adult and it matured her greatly. I think she seems to be more needy than the others. She's also the one that is the doctor for the family; no she's not had any schooling but she's the one that we go to for general medical stuff. She's the one that handled the _Prolong_ therapy."

Tyler nods, "It sounds like you have a full family."

Xander nods. He knew that information on his wives was no doubt going to be sent, as it was recorded, to Mayhew. He knew Captain Hill was recording all his movements on Orbital Four and would feel this information should be shared and perhaps celebrated as a plus

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Steadholder Michael Mayhew was a young man who appreciated the way the young visitor's beliefs or maybe behaviors were so similar to his own. He had not yet married, only recently coming into his majority and he'd spent quite a bit of time working on his studies abroad.

Michael wasn't sure which world Xander came from but he had to agree with the others' observations that the young man had indeed claimed the young women, or maybe the young women had claimed Xander. Regardless of how it happened the young visitor to their system had firmly committed himself to them and would no doubt protect them.

What Michael was sure of was that Xander was more likely to allow them to protect themselves overall when compared to most Graysons. Of course that too had become Michaels personally belief overall. It didn't protecting women to simply remove the test from their lives; in fact he was of the mind that it weakened them. He understood that where many Graysons did not feel that way.

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LeVelle Manor

Giles was relaxing with a good book loaned to him by his analog. He was interrupted when Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Susan, and Luna entered the manor.

Looking up he scrunched up his nose in consternation at an unexpected arrival, it was a habit he picked up from Buffy unconsciously, "Harry, kids?"

Harry felt relieved that someone was here for some reason, "Hey Mr. Giles. It's Hogsmeade weekend so we came as early as was allowed."

Giles recalled Sirius and Egeria talking about the legitimate Hogsmeade weekend being November 16 for Hogwarts. It wasn't that it would stop the two from sneaking into Hogwarts to visit with Ron and Harry or meeting them in Hogsmeade after the students used the Marauders' Map. He recalled the first Hogsmeade weekend a day before Tara's birthday which was a Wednesday for Sunnydale. Keeping track of the days for the different worlds was quite a task.

Smiling at the sudden understanding Giles finishes, "And you decided to forgo the weekend in Hogsmeade for a visit, I take it?"

They all nod.

The lanky redhead he knew was Ron asks him, "Is Egeria in or thru one of the Doorways?"

Having to put up with Ron's constant talk about Egeria since summer, this had garnered a grin and chuckle from Harry and Hermione respectively. It was greatly surprising to Harry that Hermione hadn't felt an ounce of jealousy over the girl.

Gesturing to the room Giles shared with him, "She's in the old VP room, the violent one."

Ron rushes off.

Hermione sits, "What's going on in there?"

Giles closes his book realizing that they wanted to visit and gestures. "Why don't I put on some tea…" there was a pop and a tea set appeared.

Giles gave a sigh and says, "Thank you Dobby. Egeria is working on comparing and contrasting the designs for a Star Falcon like _The Joyce_ with what she knows of shield generators and weapons systems."

Hermione shrugs, "Oh."

She supposed that she'd become a bit more use to personal gossip than status reports for projects. Giles seemed to smile at that and they started to talk about the Grayson and Masada conflict. Giles was of course carefully avoiding the issues of equal rights. He was well aware of her penchant for knitting hats.

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About three hours after the kids showed up, Frank arrived from Blasedale, which was doorway two.

At the way Frank plopped down, Giles smiled just a bit as he asks, "Long day at the office?"

"Unbearable, Dobby could you please get me my…" There was a pop and he smiles widely, "Thank you Dobby."

He pulled off his shoes and socks and set his aching feet into the tub of water that was just the right temperature.

Frank mutters conversationally, "We so need to get a hot tub outside."

Seeing the exhausted look Hermione asks, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing my dear." Frank smiles, "I seem to have forgotten the time." His voice took on that of a sage or wise man. "With attending to tasks in different worlds one must remember to pace themselves."

At her confused expression he explains, "It's only about three in the afternoon on Friday in San Dale and Blasedale, and I've been there most of the day. Before that I was in the Sunnydale's World which was a Tuesday. I was working to set up some accounts in LA. Before that I was with my cousin in Utah setting up some investments for LeVelle Industries. I started there early Wednesday it would be late Thursday there now. Before that I was on your world setting up the same, that Wednesday afternoon for you. I've been on the go for close to nearly sixty hours straight, and as I was constantly in the daylight. It was playing tricks on my mind. I'm use to working daylight hours you see."

Hermione was wide eyed as she was having flashbacks to her third year which this maniac schedule starkly reminded her of. She nodded with sympathy at his plight. However while third year was still fresh on her mind two Willows arrived from the Sunnydale's Doorway.

Seeing two Willows Hermione sternly asks, "Did someone mess with a time-turner?"

Hermione's thoughts were, _**'There were reasons not to interact with your other self while using one of those cursed items.'**_

Both Willow's eyes light up and as one they ask, "Time turner?"

Harry burst out laughing as did Sirius who he was talking with at the moment.

Harry said, "I thought you knew about their doubles from Sunnydale, Hermione?"

She blushes furiously. "I… I didn't remember – I was thinking about how much I worked when I was using a time turner…" she shares before she then complains, "and then two Willows pop in."

Frank laughs nodding. "I see."

Changing the subject for the poor embarrassed girl, Giles asks, "How go your studies at Hogwarts?"

"Boring" Harry said blandly with a twinkle in his eyes. "I can see how my dad and Sirius took up pranking. I might have done the same if I hadn't had so many other things to occupy my time the first four or five years of Hogwarts."

Hermione huffs well naturedly, with a bantering tone she tells Giles, "He wants to be an Animagus." She turned to glare at the newly arrived Sirius who had entered while she was speaking with Frank, she adds, "He doesn't want to register."

Her glare gave Sirius a reason to whoop as he hadn't known anything about the former conversation. As he whooped and cheered, she knew that he was only catching up to what they were talking about halfway thru the cheer, as his eyes lit up with mischievous understanding. Perhaps she shouldn't have said that last bit as she knew she'd lost before she could argue.

Giles curiously asks, "Animagus, that is what Minerva is, a cat I believe?"

Hermione sniffs, "Yes, but she registered."

Giles asks for clarification, "With your ministry… I take it?"

She nods and he smiles, "I can understand his reluctance. Those records are available to public and Mr. Potter has many more enemies than Minerva does."

Hermione sighs as that was entirely too logical. If she was going to lose argument she would much rather lose it in the heat of the moment than to cold logic as that made her feel stupid. Of course Harry was half way grinning and halfway smirking at her.

Sirius spoke up, "It is a load of work and I think Aura found some books that might help the selection process. I gather that there is an entire branch of magic from Sunnydale that is about animal magic."

Giles widens his eyes as he realizes what magic Sirius is talking about and offers up an idea, "Perhaps before you begin you might wish to speak to Xander about it. He was greatly affected by the hyena. It will also give you an idea of what can go wrong if done incorrectly."

They all nod.

"You might find the Xander of Sunnydale easier, as LeVelle is going to be gone for another seven hours most likely."

"What's he doing?"

"He is changing out another batch of Node Processors with an upgrade and double checking that they are working to specs. It is an arduous process, pun intended." He grins.

With Xander absent, it was Cordelia that asked them before they left if they wanted to take a Door to Hogwarts. She had been working on making one herself and Dawn was willing to give the blood to try. It didn't take too much time and Sirius Apparated it to the shrieking shack from Grimmauld Place. There they took it through to Hogwarts. The perfect hiding place was the collapsed tunnel to Hogsmeade as anyone that knew about it knew it was collapsed.

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The Hogwarts crew decided to do the Animagus. The primal empowerment that both Xanders suffered seemed to be very similar to the merging of the inner animal which was the first steps of the empowerment. However the empowerment ritual allowed you to select the animal and attempt the merger rather than trying to find your inner animal on the off chance you had one. Harry was fairly sure they could do both and wanted to know what his inner animal, but not completely convinced.

Ginny nods, "I agree with Harry, we should do both. The merging isn't part of the vision anyway we should be able to do the vision again to find the same animal if we don't merge after the vision."

Hermione huffs, "Fine!"

Of course that huffiness was lost the next moment when she turned and started to dig out sealed vials with potion in them from her mokeskin bag.

Seeing their looks she asks, "What?"

All the students with her were smirking but it was Susan that pointed out the obvious, all the while she was still smirking, "You had this planned regardless didn't you?"

Hermione turns red. "Okay, so I did. I have the potions to give to the others too."

"You think the Xanders will want to do it?"

"I think Xander LeVelle will, for sure. The other one…? Maybe not." She liked the older Xander just fine but he didn't seem complete somehow and she wasn't going to touch that thought.

"I know Egeria wants to try it, Giles and Giles will as well." Ron stated then added, "Angel is curious if it will affect his being a vampire in an alternative form."

Hermione couldn't help it the educated sounding Ron turned her on. She reaches over and pulls him into a passionate kiss that could have melted paint off walls. He was grinning when she let go only to have Luna reach up and gently as could be, kiss his lips. Luna's kiss wasn't hard with passion it was soft and pleasant but held the subtle promise of future long lasting pleasure.

Harry asks Hermione, "Do we have time to do it before curfew?"

Hermione nods with her excitement showing through along side the desire to know what her animal form is.

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It was the second half of November for Hogwarts and Sunnydale but January was half over for the new year of the other three realms. Just trying to keep the dates straight had been a chore they eventually had three calendars pinned up next to the Doors.

It was according to their old world's date and time, on Xander's old watch, October twenty-first, two years and eleven months behind the current Sunnydale, not accounting for hours or leap year. They had spent quite a bit of time in the different worlds and for some reason it felt as though it was late November to Xander even the watch said it was mid October

The portal was never going to take them to the world they always thought of as home so they decided that it just wasn't the date time calendar they were going to follow, The question was which one do they follow. Half the group was doing twenty eight hour days with a bonus four hours extra sleep. The only reason Xander wasn't participating in the extra slumber was because he was following Grayson's time schedule which ironically meant twenty four hour days.

If Xander had it rough, Frank had it worse. It was no wonder Michael was staying in Blasedale so much. Frank had been run ragged but he so enjoyed the challenge. Janet had taken to tying him down at 'night' to have her wicked way with him and then leaving him tied up to make sure he got rest, much to the amusement of the others' at the Manor.

Xander sat down for diner at the Manor, once a week, as it was agreed upon to sit and eat together at this 'time' no matter when it was thru each Door. This was done on Sunday for Grayson, which was Saturday for Hogwarts, Friday for Blasedale, Thursday for Allen and Harriet, and Wednesday for Sunnydale. This was the only time that Anya and Xander were there too. Angel and Cordelia from LA would come up then too and they would have a large barbeque in the back.

Amanda and Duncan would come while Ritchey was sometimes there and sometimes not. He'd taken to spending quite a bit of time on the Chappa'ai's world, though not with the RV. He had his own bike and sidecar with supplies and had enough food and such, to just get away from the world, and not be recognized.

Kindly Amanda asks Xander, "How goes your processing station?"

Xander had the look of someone overworked and he wasn't the only one she could see that was. Frank had the same look.

"Good" he smiled widely. "They know how to work hard that's for sure. I have to admit I have been busy. They were off the week when I started but then they took another week off for New Years too. I think they normally only take an extended weekend for New Years Day, but regardless it was a godsend. If they'd been there it would have taken me a month to set up. That doesn't count the evil that is paperwork. Of course it went smoother when we finally put a Doorway on Grayson."

He glanced at Giles briefly. It was obvious who he blamed for not having one earlier. She couldn't help but smile at that half affection half aggravation.

"Everyone is there now working their butts off and it's paying off well. We hit the eighteen percent proficiency mark last week for the amount of material processed and we're getting thirteen point five percent better quality of the material on a weight for weight base."

He shook his head. "I was approved for the patent on Grayson and LeVelle Industries is making quite the number of Austins, that's the currency Grayson uses. The profit isn't just for me but for the Mayhew Steading as well. They are also harvesting the Naquadah and selling it to LeVelle Industries, per agreement. I've been leaving the Naquadah stored in a rental on Grayson to stalk up and plan to pick it up once every other month. I really don't want to run it thru the door by the handfuls like that."

Amanda nods; then offers an idea, "You could just put a larger doorway outside."

Xander blinked and slowly nodded. "I could do that. We might just… the small one man craft Egeria wants to build and the remotes she and Wills are playing with could be built outside and if we had a large Door they could get them out of here." He looked around and shrugged, "Maybe I'll look at different Doors and see what I can find as far as good wood and such."

"It has to be wood then?"

He nods though unconvincingly. "I think so, wood or something that is from the living. I suppose you make it from a large animal bone."

She nods. "I heard the kids sent a potion for everyone to use if they wanted to try."

Xander shrugs, "There're about forty doses per cauldron for the Animagus ritual, and I think everyone here could do it or at least try."

"Are you going to?" That was the real kicker, she didn't care to try so much as she wanted to know if the young man was going to, she wanted to know if he was a hyena, which seemed to be what other's assumed he would be.

"I might. I think I will, but I just don't have the time to spend trying to achieve the form."

"Xander" Sirius said from down the table a bit, having been listening in. "The form isn't achieved quite the same as in the books. Not when you add a secondary potion after the form is merged. If you were doing it alone without a wizard there then you couldn't use the second potion, but I'm already brewing it and it should be done next week which…" he shrugged. "If you do the vision quest now or tonight then you'll have time to merge the animal spirit good and solid before the potion is done."

Xander sighed but nodded.

Xander H nods, "I'll do it too. I'm curious if we have the same animal spirit."

With that it was a done deal.

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That night Xander dreamed as the potion took hold while he slept. It was a shock to feel the cold of the dream. Running on six limbs as he swung from tree to tree, he knew it was a vision after a while, but it was so much fun being a Treecat. He never knew how arboreal they were, not that he knew the word arboreal before he'd read it in the description of the Treecats, he'd looked it up and it meant that they loved or frequented trees. How they could abandon trees for people he wasn't sure.

He woke with a start and smiled.

Dawn asks him, "So what was your form?"

Returning the smile he asks her, "What was yours?"

Dawn was beaming, "I'm a bird of fire like Fawkes but green fire instead of red."

Cordy glances over to Xander from halfway down the bed, "I didn't think magical animals were possible."

Xander groans as Cordelia took him firmly in hand.

Dawn shrugs, "Maybe it's the Key." She moves her leg to rub herself against Xander's hip so he could feel the heat which she knew was a turn on, "What are you now?"

Xander smirks and says, "I'm a Treecat!" Then he groans as almost instantly Cordy gave him a reward of her mouth around him and the tip of him pressed past her tonsils. It didn't quite distract him, "What are you Cordy?"

With her mouth full she mumbles and Dawn nudges her before asking Willow, "What about you, Wills?"

Willow purrs, "I'm a lynx!"

Xander noticed that she was glancing at him with a proud grin at the similarity between their forms.

Irritably Cordy took Xander out of her mouth and commented, "I'm a lion now leave me be!" Then she went back to trying to suck out her morning prize as though it was the fountain of youth. Xander had started to groan and Willow smirks at him. She moved down the bed and opened the trunk. Xander watched her as she put something on and then moved behind Cordelia whose eyes widen and he can feel her screaming shocked arousal at whatever Willow was doing.

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As it turns out Dawnie was the same as Dawn so they assumed it was the Key that allowed it, that was until they found out that Joyce was a hippogriff.

In unison the two Dawns smirk and offer, "So it's genetic then?"

Joyce was greatly flustered. She wasn't sure she'd been magical, as in wand waving but that really didn't matter. The only person at the Manor that didn't take the potion was Eric who was already put to bed and wouldn't be allowed until he was at least ten, and they didn't know if it would work for him.

"Well I'm not a magical bird so…" Buffy said glanced at the other Buffy.

The other Buffy shook her head as if offended, "I'm not either!"

"So what are you?" Dawnie snapped.

"Patience Dawnie" said Dawn. "She's just winding you up and now she knows to do it again."

Both Buffys glared at the elder Dawn.

"I'm a wolf twice the size of large, as Willow would say." That was the Sunnydale Buffy; Dawn was half sure, it was so hard to tell sometimes.

"Really, what color is your form, I'm white like snow and…"

"Do you have a spot right there?" she said glancing at her chest and the other Buffy nodded excitedly.

"So you share forms?" Xander LeVelle asked them, glancing at Dawn, Dawnie, and the two Buffys.

They all nod. "I'm a Treecat and the other Xander is a panther, much larger than me and seems to be able to fade into the dark shadows much easier." He sniffed but they all knew he liked that they were different.

"What is Anya?"

"I don't know but she was babbling about rabbits and was pleased so whatever it is kills rabbits, maybe she's a fox. Janna is a red fox by the way."

"She's a ferret," Giles said with some humor. "My other self is a dog same as I; a Great Dane to be precise."

"Were the immortals able to show a form? They left before I… was out of the room." Xander said altering the word choice just a bit.

Giles smirks. "Duncan is a dog. He said it was a mutt that has some hound and some retriever in it. Amanda is a raven; she liked her form quite a bit and said she couldn't wait to try it out."

Cordelia approaches looking worried. "My double is a large bird she doesn't know if it was a hawk or eagle." She pouted, "Are your forms different too?" they shake their heads and she sighs.

"Angel has two forms. One is a bat, he thinks it's the nature of the vampire essence, and the other is a large wolf like mine but slightly smaller." Buffy said sounding pleased.

The other Buffy sounded less pleased, "Riley was a hedgehog and he was pleased for some reason, I gather it was his high school mascot." She turned to Xander and asked curiously. "What was Kendra?"

He shrugged. "She was in the shower when I woke up."

"I am a coyote" Kendra said approaching she was pleased with her form; it wasn't too aggressive but sneaky and fit in well with the others.

"Does anyone know if the other Angel has the same as Angel's forms?"

Kendra nods. "De Vampire form is a bat and a large Eagle."

Xander raises an eyebrow. "Sort of like Cordy's form instead of Buffy's; has he moved on I wonder."

Buffy sighs with relief and glares at him when he smiles at her. "What?!" she hisses, "Just because I'm not in a relationship with him doesn't mean I don't want him to be happy."

"What are the other forms, Janet and Frank went to breakfast with Michael thru Doorway two, and Allen and Harriet are on the road again."

Buffy was smiling thinking of the cute couple, she shares, "Allen and Harriet, they are a Chihuahua and a squirrel."

Dawnie thought differently and it came out in her tone, "Frank was a guard dog, I forget the name, and Janet was poodle."

Buffy sniffs, "Dobermans are not cute."

"Michael was a Russian Blue house cat. Amy was a Persian," Dawn offered. "I don't know Nancy or Aura's forms though."

Dawnie tells them, "A red dog like that cartoon dog named Cliff, and Aura was a small all black Beagle, you know, a hound dog?"

"A beset hound dog" Buffy corrected Dawnie with a smirk.

Dawn rolled her eyes before Dawnie could go off on her sister.

Xander nods thankful at Dawn's intervention there and tells them, "Tara was a white snowy owl, what was the other Willow?"

"She said she was a cat but wasn't sure what kind but she was small, and wasn't a common house cat."

Xander asks, "What was Egeria?"

Dawnie shrugged. "We don't know, she wants to find out what creature it was but I think it was magical."

"Why would you think that?" Buffy asked.

Dawnie glared at her. "She was looking in the magical texts; she was on demons at the time and was frustrated because none of them matched up."

"I'm glad we don't have any demon Animagus, that wouldn't be good. Do any of you know what the six from Hogwarts are?"

"No" they all agreed.

"Harry did say he'd shared about it over Christmas," Dawn said.

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	3. Settled and Weddings

The Scooby Gang

Book III: Settling Inn

Disclaimer: I have no property rights to any published or copyrighted material that is reserved to those that make money from ideas which I do not.

Summery: The third book on the now dimensionally stranded Scoobies. With the manor stuck in Yellow Space they utilize the doors to have a life outside the manor as the group grows closer to finding their personal place in multiverse.

Sequel to '_The Scooby Gang Book 1'_ and _'The Scooby Gang Book 2'_

Warning: Multi Ship M/FFF ahead!

Crossovers: Harry Potter, Stargate, Honor Harrington, and Highlander

CHAPTER 3: Settled and Weddings

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The post arrived on Grayson for LeVelle Industries on February 15, a Saturday for Grayson. This was the first time they'd gotten post from anyone outside Grayson's businesses and it was Manticore. Willard Neufsteiler, who Honor had set him up with, was sending him a report on the finances.

The post had been sent six weeks previous but it had taken its time to get to them. The investments weren't large but the first pay out from the Navy Bureau of Ship Building (BuShips) and the other payout from Navy Bureau of Weapons (BuWeaps) were very large. He shook his head at the size of the pay out and it was a residual income.

Turning to Giles as he enters the bridge area, Xander shares, "Looks like Manticore is up and running."

"Why is that?"

Holding up the post Xander shrugs, "Neufsteiler's letters shares the amounts of the first two payouts as of the first of the year and they are quite substantial."

Seeing the look of curiosity on Giles face Xander hands him the digital post. Unlike Grayson, Manticore did paperwork without paper.

Giles was astonished, "Good lord are these equivalent to Grayson Austins?"

Xander shrugs indifferently. "I have no idea; I think they are actually worth more, but the exchange rate isn't going to be an issue. We've made about half that on the patent and only spent a quarter of it purchasing all the Naquadah they were harvesting."

Giles nods, turning his undivided attention to Xander. "We aren't far away from Manticore. If there is a war coming, they will use Grayson as a Midway, will they not?"

Giles had more often of late attempted to draw out Xander's intelligence with general conversation rather then crisis management. Military and strategic understanding of things was one way to do that.

Xander shrugged. "I don't know. They could, I suppose, simply conquer and deal with Endicott. Wipe them out, or set up such steep criminal penalties for rape and such as to shoot all the males their first night there. Unfortunately I somehow doubt they will. It would be easier and it would set them up to co-opt Grayson's support easily but they are rather set against expansion and they have no way of getting across to their people exactly how evil Masada really is."

Giles sighs slightly exasperated at the blood thirsty Xander but gives him a nod of understanding, "How long do you think they will hold off attempting some form of treaty or alliance with Grayson?" He didn't need to signify Manticore or Haven for that question.

"I don't know. What little I gleamed from Mayhew, Grayson would, for the most part, welcome some outside influence. At least he and his brother's family as well as anyone else that is actually interested in living, rather than being so staunch in their ways, as to avoid change even at the cost of their life."

"They are religious aren't they" he said rhetorically with some humor. He'd met a few of the Graysons serving as _Joyce's_ pilot.

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Inside LeVelle Manor Remus Lupin was pacing back and forth. This was the first time the Manor was being used in such a fashion, but it had given Xander ideas. He had more than once been caught glancing at the girls. They were giggling and glancing back. Remus was far too nervous. He'd wanted to wait until next week, when Harry could be there too, had been the excuse, but Albus stepped in saying it was a Saturday after all.

Fed up with it Xander asks the werewolf, "Are you glad you're getting married?"

Sirius was smirking at the firmly answer, "Yes I bloody well am."

Xander nods sagely. "And you have Harry and his friends here too. They got special permission to use the door to get here. Now tell me what's to be nervous about?"

Remus sighs and bites his lip. "I know she's going to want a baby soon and I'm not sure I'm ready to be a father. I'll be a horrible father."

That was all it took to have Sirius burst out laughing. At Xander's look Sirius took on a mock sheepish look, "Sorry I thought it was a joke, it's the only thing that made sense about him not being a good father." The grim animagus offered by way of an explanation to Xander, ignoring Remus's glare.

Xander smirks at them. "The fact you're worried makes you better then most but to be honest your kid will be how he is no matter what you do. Look at me, I had drunks as parents, and Sirius – let's not even talk about them."

Remus sighs. "So I should be a bad parent?"

"Only if you want him to be something you are not. He or she, that is."

Remus sighs again, in a way that was extremely put upon. "Tonks won't let me anyway" suddenly the worried was gone but then he started to hyperventilate. "What if she doesn't want me any…?"

Remus's lips were moving but there was no sound emanating any longer. He had been silenced good and proper by the smug Sirius Orion Black or that SOB as Remus was currently thinking.

Xander turns to Sirius, with an appreciative tone, "Thank god for you Sirius. I don't know how long I could have put up with his petty little issues anymore. I mean to think he was a prankster in his day. You know Tonks is sort of hot, I wonder if that Polyjuice we brewed would work…" he ducked as Remus threw haymaker at his head he was laughing now as was Sirius.

Remus glared at them both.

"Now that we've dealt with that cold feet issue…" Xander smirked, "why don't you go talk to Harry? Maybe you can convince him to remove the silencing spell?"

Remus stomped off as the two men laughed some more.

"This place is a good place to have the wedding." Sirius shares then snickers as he adds, "Weather permitting, of courses."

With a smirk Xander asks him, "Will it be a double soon?"

Sirius freezes a moment before trying to turn it around on Xander, "What about you? Are you going to tie the not with your four brides?"

Xander shrugs. "I've already committed myself to them; they know it and I know it, and if they want to celebrate it – I have no problems with that."

Sirius sighs showing a remarkably similar expression as Remus had only moments earlier. "I'm an old man compared to them. I never really thought I'd be happy again; Nancy and Aura make me happy. If I thought they'd say yes I'd ask them today, might not get married until they're both seventeen which is…."

Aura was a month younger than Nancy so she was the one to answer surprising the 'aged' marauder, "In four month's, dear, and of course we'll marry you!"

Sirius eyes widen and he faints.

Xander was laughing hard.

Harry approaches and asks, "Is he alright?"

Still laughing Xander shares with a gesture at the two girls, "The girls just said yes!"

Harry looks at them and nods. "You're good for him and I somehow don't think a single woman would hold him down for too long." He smirked. "But I am going to make sure to record this memory for future Blacks to know."

Smirking at Aura and Nancy Xander shares, "You know, I would think he'd have taken the hint when you redid that tapestry."

Harry nods, "If Ginny, Luna, and Hermione had done something like that, it would have been a sure sign that they wanted me to father some children and soon."

Xander nods causing both girls to blush, "It wasn't just that!" Insisted Aura before she adds, "I don't think I've ever loved someone as much as I do Sirius, though Nancy and Cordelia are up there. I think that if Cordelia was with us it would be a bit different; I'm not really sexually attracted to her, that much…" That added bit was done with a blush to her cheeks. "Nancy and I have shared everything and we'd always worried about a man that would accept our closeness; Sirius never even hesitated."

Sirius was awake now and had a smiled on his face that said he was utterly pleased.

Changing the subject before the ole dog could brag Xander turns to Harry and asks, "Did you take the silencing spell off the wolf?"

Harry smiles sheepishly and nods. "For about twenty seconds before I put it back on and fled like a bat out of hell."

The sympathetic girls cooed, "Poor Remus!"

Sirius was more aware now, "He's wanted this! He's just got that thing where he thinks that nothing good can come to him without bad following in its wake, which is of course why I've set the prank up for tonight."

That wasn't a smart thing to say, it seemed as both girls turned sharply and asks, "Prank?"

Sirius steps back a bit and starts to stutter, "Well you see… all his hair is going to vanish the moment he and Tonks are alone together and naked."

They both blink and then smiled. "That's a good prank, dear, it isn't too much and it will take the edge off."

Nancy nodded. "And hair in the teeth sucks, why do you think we vanished yours?" he gulped and almost crossed his legs.

Harry smiled and excused himself, Xander in his wake.

Xander mutters to The-Boy-Who-Lived, "That was far too much information but maybe I'll see about what I learned in private."

Harry nodded he'd do the same.

Changing the subject Xander asks him, "So, are you still going to wait until Christmas to reveal to us what your Animagi forms are?"

Harry froze a moment then sighs, "The already did the first rituals, so we know what our forms are. We just wanted to have the form down before we showed you. We went ahead and started bonding with the merged animal spirits and we're pleased with our forms."

Xander frowns, "Didn't Sirius give you the second potion?"

Confused Harry asks "Second potion?"

Xander nods and explains, "Evidently once you merge with your animal spirit you can take another potion and the change is almost instant. The only issue is that if you don't know how to change back you'll need help reverting to your human form the first few times."

Harry blinked and nods his understanding, grumbling a bit, "We did it the other way. I'll have some stern words with Hermione tonight as that would have been much easier."

With a mock mumble Xander asks, "Stern words, that's what they call it nowadays?"

Harry looks at him sharply and then blushes.

Smirking at him Xander tells him, "If you want you can borrow one of my wooden paddles, the runes on it are pleasure runes, just don't tell the other's I made them."

Harry laughs. "Maybe I'll grab that after the wedding."

Xander smiled. He'd not found the time to bring it up with the girls and he really didn't want to go too fast. But he thought of the idea of paddling them with it was rather funny, at least the first time.

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Remus was married the day before, on December 14, 1996 (according to Hogwarts calendar). It was a Friday for the Hogwarts' kids and they had been able to stay until curfew. Remus had only been allowed to speak three minutes prior to the vows exchanged, he got the idea that _nobody wanted to listen to his self delusional worry_, Molly's words there.

Harry did pick up one of those paddles and Cordelia seeing them looked over the runes and blushes deep red the rest of the 'night'. She distinctly recalled the section of Pleasure Runes that she'd read about in the Rune Log Xander had made. It had given her ideas and she'd snagged one that night for her and Wills' alone time.

Wills had come to breakfast that morning with a very sore posterior. The pleasure didn't diminish the sting when you stopped and Willow had demanded harder several times.

Seeing the discomfort, Xander asks her, "Are you alright Wills?"

Cordy blushes as Willow answers, "I'm fine but Cordy used one of your paddles last night." She suddenly had a dreamy expression, missing his flush and Cordy's blush. "I got a bit carried away in demanding further and harder punishment."

Giles dropped his tea but with a quick spell it was cleaned it up, thankfully the wands that they'd picked up in Diagon Ally worked for things like that. He quickly vacated the area, likely to seek out Janna.

"Um" the young man managed out with a blush, he looked at Cordelia.

Cordy tries to look innocent as she asks, "Yes dear, unless those paddles were for someone and something else?"

Xander sighs, "I just didn't know if we were ready for that."

Cordy giggles. "Maybe tonight you'll have to punish me?" Licking her lips and lifting an eyebrow she adds with all do professionalism, "I sort of over did it for Willow, I should most assuredly be brought to rights."

The prim tone of her voice was a turn on for Xander and he groans before firmly replying, "I have to go to work." It was Monday morning on Grayson. As he stood he tried his most domineering tone, "I will deal with this tonight, young lady."

Cordy flushed with arousal.

Dawn was giggling at the counter and tells Cordy as Xander leave, "I think we'll all take turns making sure next time you will share these things!"

Kendra was curious but she would hold off until tonight. She was well aware some mild pain, and some not so mild pain, could very pleasing. She simply wasn't aware of sex enough to know the different ins and outs, pun intended.

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It was the week following Remus's wedding that Hogwarts let out. It had been a long week. Harry and the others returned and the following day Romilda Vane tried to slip love potion laced chocolates to Harry. He'd been able to tell what it was. The potions Severus had been giving to the students had paid off.

Harry fed them to Trevor with Neville's permission and then loudly complained in a mock confrontation with Neville in the common room. Romilda was horrified when the toad seemed to jump at her causing her to scream something fierce before running away with the toad happily hopping after her.

So far Neville had a new friend, Romilda had felt so guilty about 'stealing his familiar' that she'd agreed to go on a date with him. It was shocking to say the least but it had worked out quite well for Harry and Neville. Harry wasn't sure whether or not Neville used his own _Twins Made_ _potion_ or if it was just that he'd paid her attention.

"You ready?" Harry asked.

In reply Ginny asks him, "Are you sure we shouldn't take the train?"

"Na," he shook his head, "Sirius knows and your mum should be getting the letter this morning from Hedwig."

She smiles widely. "I don't know if she's going to be happy or not. I mean me not going home for Christmas isn't a big deal, but going someplace else…"

She worried her bottom lip.

"Hermione's coming too, so is Ron, and Susan said she would meet us there as she sent her aunt a letter stating she'd be at the Manor. Amelia seems to be rather busy right now." He shook his head sadly. "I never want to be the Minister!"

Ginny smiles widely and nodding her agreement. "She knows how to get there so there shouldn't be any problems, and she knows Susan is much safer there than with Auror guards."

Harry shrugs, "Luna said her father was pleased that she was growing up. He's not all there in the here and now."

"I never thought of Mr. Lovegood as crazy" she shrugged, "a bit open minded?" She nodded at her own rhetorical question.

"He told her that he was glad she'd made friends that accepted her and that he'd not been right in the head since he lost her mother. Luna was very… emotional when we talked about it."

"Really, was that before or after the use of the paddle?" Ginny lifts her eyebrows in a mock curious expression.

Harry blushes profusely and mutters, "Which time?"

Ginny laughs. "Hermione told her about it and she said she would have to find ways to earn more spankings with that particular paddle."

He blushes worse. "I think she thought she was getting a real spanking and after she was done she said it felt like a real spanking but she kept demanding I hit her harder."

Ginny nodded. "She used the same paddle on me," she admitted with a grin. "I couldn't sit for the next day without it stinging. I don't know if I've ever had that hard of an orgasm."

The husky voice that last bit shared was promising to try harder for more orgasms. Harry closes his eyes with exasperation. They had agreed not to have intercourse until Harry was seventeen and Ginny and Luna were both sixteen. That meant next summer in the middle of August as Ginny was the youngest. It didn't however stop them from solemnly wishing to take the decision back. This was of course only their decision with Harry. He made a point that it wasn't with each other or with Ron for Hermione or Luna.

"Come on master, it is time to go." Ginny's husky voice didn't lessen at all, but then she made it worse, "Unless you do not wish to come, master?"

Unlike some witches Ginny had paid close attention to the muggle sexual games and she'd read quite a few of Hermione's books that touched on a master and submissive roll playing. Ginny could never be an actual submissive but she could roll play well.

Harry for his part was turned on but that was only because it was Ginny's intent. He didn't completely understand it and was simply following their lead. The spanking of Hermione he'd felt would be funny, and if he'd thought of it before hand would have realized it was completely sexual. Afterwards he knew, and he wasn't sure if he should talk to Xander or not about the paddles because it was private, but he needed advice. He wasn't into causing pain that way, the only reason he could with paddles was because it was providing extreme pleasure at the same time and he could tell by her squeals of pleasure.

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Molly sighs as she read the letter again and grumbles at her husband, "At least your daughter wrote."

Softly Arthur asks his wife, "What was that Mollywobbles?"

"The kids are staying at LeVelle Manor for Christmas this year."

He lifts an eyebrow in surprise at her upset. "You expected them to come here when they enjoyed themselves so much there?"

She looked strained. She'd not paid them much mind this last summer but she supposed they did enjoy their time there.

"I just didn't realize that they…"

"Molly" he spoke gently to her, "here they are kids, and you treat them that way. There they are seen as equals, as adults, and are treated that way. Even the older adults see them as equals. I know that they can use magic freely there, so they'll not have to worry overly much. With that Door they and Albus came thru for Remus's wedding, I'm sure they can return to Hogwarts for anything they left behind which means they don't even need to pack up their trunks."

She sighs and shared a reluctant nod of understanding with her husband. When she spoke her voice carries her curiosity, "What are they going to do after they graduate? I have this feeling they're going to move in there."

She was feeling left out and jealous, but also LeVelle Manor had been the actions place for the war. Yes, it was over, but she knew what they did in one of those rooms with the remote death deliverers. Every time she saw the room it made her shiver.

"I think they will. I have no doubt that they will find their place. I'm just not sure it will be in our world."

She nods. "I'm going over Christmas morning with the gifts and helping with Christmas dinner. If they are going to have my kids there, then they damn well better…"

He laughed and she tried glare at him but he smiled and pulled her into a kiss.

The ire was replaced by love and an empty house.

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At the Manor the major excitement for the day was not just the arrival of the 'kids' from Hogwarts but it was also the day for everyone to transform into their form. It was Saturday for Grayson and therefore Xander had two days off so would have all day Sunday to explore his Treecat form.

Sounding excited Xander L says, "Alright, let's take the potion and see us change into our forms."

He'd been hesitant, but the more he merged with his inner cat, the more he felt the urge to be in that form. This was much different then the hyena and in fact the old girl had submitted to the willing merge lending a bit of strength of spirit to the Treecat.

Harry shrugs and tells him, "You can go first." He was glancing at Sirius with an accusation in his look. "As they didn't have any information on the second potion in the Hogwarts library, I'm not sure I want to test it until I see it. Not that I don't trust Sirius not to prank me…" that last was added with a mock fear.

Xander looked at Sirius and then shrugged and downed his does of potion.

It took a moment and he was in his treecat form. He held out a hand and clicked his claws and then jumped performing a back flip and chattered with delight. The looking around he found his target and rushed Kendra. He made sure to leave his claws in as he tried to climb her shoulder. Others were laughing at the slayer trying to prevent whatever it was Xander was doing and he eventually gave up and tried another. Dawn had read about treecats and had the pad on her shoulder for him. She grunts, "Oomph!" He'd found his perch then licks her cheek and jumps down. With some effort he reverts to his form and sits down on the floor.

"That takes quite a bit out of me," seeing the look he adds, "changing form."

There was a nod and Sirius explains, "Your magic isn't use to it and you don't use much in the way of magic normally so I could see that as an issue. I'd do it as much as possible until you get use to it." As this magic lacked a wand it was one of the methods he could easily use to help expand his magical core.

The others that were there did the potions as if in one step, no longer wary of Sirius's prank. The fastest to change was Harry followed shortly by Ginny and they were both the same type of animal. A bird of prey, the same type of falcon at that, and they would find out later it was a Peregrine Falcon. There wasn't much room inside the manor for such a large falcon and when they went outside the lack of blue was enough for them to remember the danger of the vacuum outside the wards

Egeria was in her form shortly after Harry and Ginny, it was a stark surprise, as it was a magical creature, a griffin. Half eagle half cat, and she enjoyed both the prowl and the flight, she'd played tag with Ron who had formed into a lion that looked out of place with hair that was the color of fire.

It was imposable to tell the exact sequence of people changing by this point. Hermione was an eagle that was slightly larger then Egeria's griffin. Luna was a very small hawk. Dawn and Dawnie had at some point flamed to the edge of the wards and back again, and Angel was singing his sharp sounding sonar. Tara was there as was Joyce and most of the others too.

The immortals, both pairs of married Doyles, and Michael and Amy, were absent. That meant that the manor was packed with roughly twenty-five Animagus. Susan had the widest berth as she had a hard time controlling her needles when she first transformed. She loved her form much to the other's amusement and the only one brave enough the first hour in their forms to approach was Riley the hedgehog.

It was several hours of play and a few clicks had formed but it was diversified. Ron didn't really have the room to roam but was distracted by Cordelia whose form was much more standard for lions as her hair color didn't transfer over. Cordelia and Egeria had ganged up on him to show him who the hunter of the pack was. Willow felt much more fragile when she spotted out the griffin and lion ganging up on the lion and wisely avoided the confrontation.

The only mishap was Luna almost flying out of the wards but Harry had turned human in mid air and summoned her before turning back into a falcon and catching her. On a dive he was faster but when flying normally Luna was much faster than him.

The day had stretched long into the morning for Hogwarts and even Grayson but nobody was complaining. That night Luna had slept with Harry. She'd been utterly scared when she realized she almost left the wards and hadn't wanted to let him go. All the girls knew Harry loved them but he'd always lacked a physical or kinesthetic presence. It was very hard for him to expand on that, it was Ginny and Hermione that had gotten him to open up physically to some degree this last summer. Luna was much less needy with Harry but that night proved she enjoyed the cuddles just as much as Ginny and Hermione.

Hermione and Luna both knew that Harry would love them and show it but the passionate expressions were more likely to come from Ron. There was no need to be jealous of one or the other and it seemed they were finding their own fit with each other.

It had shown in the rules they'd made, Ron had been reluctant to make any rules but when he did it was for when he turned seventeen not when the youngest girl turned seventeen, which would be Luna. More than once Ron had to put a stop to things for the evening at Hogwarts and take a cold shower before avoiding girls for the rest of the night just to make sure he didn't break his own rule.

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Xander returned to work on Monday and was in much better spirits. The new nodes that Egeria had worked on had been installed and patented. He had also been stretching his mind when he found a tidbit of information he'd not realized, Michael Mayhew. The Steadholder that he'd actually met and had taken for a young man of about twenty three to twenty nine was only just today seventeen. He hadn't realized that after dealing with Manticore and getting a feel for peoples' age to looks that he'd not had that carry over.

He'd already had a few of the men on the orbital that he trusted come to his ship and invite them and their wives to have some medical checkups. He'd helped to remove some of the heavy metals and Dawn and Egeria had helped to deliver two children that the doctors on Grayson had been unsure if they'd even make it to term. Tyler and his wives, whom he loved, and it showed, were extremely thankful. The fact that it was a woman seeing to the wives had made Tyler a bit easer but his checkup was rather, _strained_. Luck would have it that it only took about two or three minutes total and he'd felt loads better, including an aching hip that he'd broke almost a decade earlier.

Tyler, Samantha, Shelia, and Sarah were a nice family and would have their second healthy child before the middle of the year. Considering the five miscarriages they'd had so far, one of the reasons both he and his wives were on the orbital to hopefully avoid the metal levels, it was a 'godsend'.

Xander did of course privately tease him about collecting S's as wives. It took a moment to get it and Tyler had blushed severally. Evidently their names were the first thing he'd been attracted to as a child, though he did pass over almost seventy girls with their name starting with an S because they just didn't match. His mothers all has S at the beginning of their names and his father's name is Tomas. Tyler thought it ironic that nobody else in the last five generations had said anything.

Soon it was Christmas for the kids from Hogwarts, and Thursday for Grayson, which was near the end of the week. In fact, the following day all Xander had to do was the end of week paperwork. Nothing needed repaired or adjusted this week so he'd only been on sight helping out where he could.

Xander mutters to himself, "Thank the tester for Frank." He couldn't help but smile at picking up the Grayson lingo.

From the door Dawn asks, "What was that, dear?"

"Oh, I was just being thankful for Frank, how is he doing? I missed the visit this time." He gestured to the paperwork with a thankful face.

Dawn grins, "He did it at home and delivered it." She looked amused. "I take it that he's claimed the Blasedale Doorway as his home. He's living in San Vale and Michael is staying in the Blasedale estate. Janet is thrilled. I think we were getting to her, just a bit."

Xander nods. "It can be a bit crazy here. Kendra's still patrolling Sunnydale with the Buffs on the weekends?"

Dawn smirks tellingly and explains, "Buffy the older one isn't quite sure how to handle our Buffy, and has come to me to complain more than once."

He looks surprised and she nods. "I am evidently the mature daughter of Joyce Summers and therefore the leader of the pack. I take it that Dawnie has enjoyed playing up the bratty little sister. I know I enjoy it on occasion but she's had a longer time to fill in that roll."

Xander laughs at her enthusiasm. "How's your mother. I know she's been making periodic visits to the Hellmouth for the Art Gallery but…"

"She's enjoying the mothering. Dawnie gets flustered and our Buffy is really eating it up. Evidently when Sunnydale's Buffy went to collage, she moved out." She shook her head. "I don't know what went on there but neither one are talking."

He nods at that before asking, "Are we all exchanging gifts tomorrow too?"

Dawn was smiling and eagerly nodding her head. "We thought it best that we stick to one schedule and as the group from Hogwarts have made this their home as well…" she shrugged.

"Where are Cordy and Wills?" He glances around as if just realizing he was alone with Dawn.

"Oh, they're in the other room." She told him then with a mocking whine she tells him, "Cordy said that I was naughty and you were to punish me tonight or I wouldn't get a proper Christmas gift tomorrow." She had an impish little smile

Xander shivers, he knew they were play acting and went along with it, finding out what she'd done that was naughty, which was trying to peak at the gifts Cordelia had gotten her.

Needless to say that Dawn would have a wide smile and very sore ass in the morning. Of course that wasn't the only thing sore, she found out that the paddles could be used in other methods and she wasn't going to share until they all had spankings from Xander.

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	4. Christmas before Trolls

The Scooby Gang

Book III: Settling Inn

Disclaimer: I have no property rights to any published or copyrighted material that is reserved to those that make money from ideas which I do not.

Summery: The third book on the now dimensionally stranded Scoobies. With the manor stuck in Yellow Space they utilize the doors to have a life outside the manor as the group grows closer to finding their personal place in multiverse..

Sequel to '_The Scooby Gang Book 1'_ and _'The Scooby Gang Book 2'_

Warning: Multi Ship M/FFF ahead!

Crossovers: Harry Potter, Stargate, Honor Harrington, and Highlander

CHAPTER 4: Christmas before Trolls

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The Hogwarts Christmas day at LeVelle Manor was quite an affair. They had been in the middle of opening the gifts when Molly Weasley showed up unannounced. Anyone would have thought she was being rude and she might have been, a bit. But in her defense it wasn't like an owl could reach the manor and the kids when staying there had a habit of not going into Grimmauld Place so Molly simply showing up wasn't outside the realm of necessity. It wasn't like anyone complained and she had brought her gifts unopened to open them with family.

Realizing how empty the place was Molly timidly asks, "Where is everyone else?"

She'd realized she'd been a bit rude when she came over but it was too late now to change that.

Xander smiles, "Frank's at work, it's Tuesday in Blasedale. Sunnydale won't have Christmas for another two weeks. Blasedale – I believe it is mid-February."

Molly sighs, "Keeping track of one day at a time is more then enough for me, Xander dear."

He smiles kindly and laughs. "I know what you mean. If it wasn't for the calendars near the Doorways I'd likely stick to Grayson time, at least it's easier to track the days of the week between worlds."

Curious Molly asks him, "What's it like there?"

He pauses in consideration and shrugs. "They are a religious bunch for sure, but everything about their practice of faith is extremely personal. I wouldn't go waving a wand claiming it magic while there, but I wouldn't be afraid to use it and claim it as some advanced technology beyond their current understanding. It wouldn't be that unusual to have some advanced technology that's personally keyed to me as an individual. I realized almost right away that there was a wide variance of technologies out there. I think Harry and Ginny hit home that magic is just another technology when they were able to use the hand ribbon and healing devices that Egeria's people were supposed to be the only ones who are able actively use. In fact she believes the Naquadah in her blood gave her the ability, and being blended gave her the know-how of using the item, but with both your daughter and Harry able to use them that can't be the whole of it."

He shook his head. "The way she connects to the control of the technological device is very similar to magicals and how they connect to the wand on an instinctual level. How she controls it after connecting to it is much the same way silent casting is done with the wand, not that it has the same… instructions, but it is very similar in form and function. She's able to use a wand easily and that isn't something she'd thought of before. Egeria's symbiote is several thousand years old. While she may be in part, because of the host age, only seventeen, they are by and large much more experienced in some things." He shook his head sadly.

Molly paled a bit. "Isn't she the one that's sitting on Ron's lap right now?" she had a bit of squeak in her voice.

"You know I don't think in all her several thousand years she's ever had a boyfriend."

Suddenly Molly was very sympathetic, though that didn't stop her from saying, "And she chose my youngest to be her first?" she giggles, "Are you sure she's sane?"

Xander shook his head with amusement. Ron at that moment looked over evidently feeling something and Molly burst out laughing as the expression on his face was one mixing pleasure with confusion.

After her laughter was under control Molly asks, "What were those square things that she gave them?"

"Books; she and Willow, with a few others' help managed to digitalize our library. Every book they could they copied into the central databank and each of those is a copy of the books. I believe Hermione has promised to copy Hogwarts' entire library to add to the gift and the central databank. We've already had to expand the library four times to store hard copies of books and such. Nobody ever goes in there… well Giles does, but I've seen him covertly using the hand pads to read, he just doesn't want to admit that he liked them."

Molly was blown away. "They have all those books in there?" She wasn't going to say it was Muggle, not when it was obviously going to work at Hogwarts. If it wasn't the kids wouldn't have been so excited.

"That and they also have a number of search features. I think their homework has just gotten that much easier and I think also it will give them an edge on their personal studies. I know that Ginny and Harry are attempting to put together their own rune logs. I have started to put together several different logs and I believe that they have found a few in Hogwarts that even I didn't think of until I saw them."

She nodded, she was unaware of _The_ _Wish_, and the wish was actually limited to the realm Xander was in but not limited on the time in that realm, well not that limited. Ten thousand years was about the most Anyanka could fit in his head without causing brain damage. Even then it might have been the reason his animal instinct was so hindered in choosing an animal, that and the aspect of demon mixed with Nimitz's or Laughs Brightly's curiosity. It may never be known exactly why an alien intelligence was his animalistic spirit.

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At the burrow Molly was both relieved and worried. She'd quite enjoyed talking to Xander and watching the kids that for the most part fit in so well as to look like they'd always been there, or maybe belonged there.

Arthur arrived home and asked, "What's wrong dear?" he'd had to work Christmas Day. There were several shady customers that needed dealt with, not that they needed to be arrested, fines were there for a reason.

"I… I spent most of the day at the Manor." she told him.

He nods, they'd talked about it and she wanted to see her kids. "And…?"

She whines, "It was like they belonged there."

He nods his head knowingly and admits, "I could tell that during the war."

She looks up sharply and sounded almost upset, "Really? Did I miss that much? I was so worried…"

"Molly dear, maybe you should take the time now that the war is over and the kids are away from the house. There isn't much here to do without the kids running havoc. Go visit the manor without the kids there to distract you. It's a large and busy place from what I saw but without the kids you might get a feel for the place a bit more. The kids are there until the fourth I believe, they head back on the fifth of January."

She sighs and gives him a gesture of agreement. "We'll spend New Years there and maybe see the kids off to school."

With a sigh that was much happier that the choice was now made she suddenly realized the house was devoid of kids and Arthur didn't need to get up in the morning. The sly look she gave her husband was one he's seen quite often, after all they have had seven kids and he knew exactly what was coming that night. Perhaps Molly would talk privately to that Cordelia girl and see about collecting one of those paddles.

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It was quite obvious to anyone paying attention that the wizarding world was quickly changing to meet the new times. Laws were being passed to support equality among magicals, which included Goblin and Centaur; even house elves, though that was a touchy subject as they didn't want to be seen as equals for the most part. One thing they did work on however was the introduction to a select number of Immortals and the laws concerning the Immortals as a magical species of human were few and far between as well as magically ignored unless you were aware of them or needed to be.

So far every immortal was magical to some degree, even the potential immortals that runes were needed to locate were squib level on the surface. There were plans in the works to invite squibs or those at the level of squibs to Hogwarts. After all Xander LeVelle would have been classified as a squib and his talent with wandless fire was a marvel, and his ability with runes had no equal.

So far this was mostly ignored by the kids as they were busy enough with learning magics and expanding their education on muggle subjects they'd need in places like Blasedale and Grayson or Manticore. This had made their Christmas gifts a priceless gift that would be used long into the future. The funny thing was that the gift also had micro speakers that could get rather loud and they would find that they could record sounds as well as literature.

It was the fifth of January, Molly had visited the night before and the fact that she wasn't there that morning had spoke volumes to Ron and Ginny about her letting go.

"Are we all ready?"

"Yea" "Sure" "It's not like we are taking a lot back to Hogwarts."

"You know it feels like I'm leaving home for school…?" Harry offered up and Xander grinned.

"Off with you… enjoy the day at Hogwarts while all the other's are stuck on the train, but I have work to do this morning, as it is the start of my work week."

Harry grinned. "Who ever thought that the first nine-to-five job you'd get was on a space station?"

Xander froze a moment. "It's not a station so much… anyway no would have suspected it before. Even now it's sort of awesome." He smiled and then sighs. "But I need to go."

Harry laughs. Work was work, it didn't matter that it was awesome, it was still was a chore to do at times. "You know I thought we'd see Bill here, but we haven't seen him since school started."

Ginny nods. "He and Fleur are in Egypt. Evidently with the war over they decided to send him back or gave him the option and he really does love it there."

"He chose to go" Ron spoke up. "Egeria told him about some of the things Ra and the others did about five thousand years ago and he thinks he might be able to find out how much is…" he paused thinking of the right word.

"How much is coincidence and how much is similar?" Harry offered.

Ron nods. "She gave him a load of information on the times. She was actually there helping smuggle people out of Egypt while Ra was ruling."

"Wow, you really can pick your girls" Ginny smirked.

Ron blushes and returns his smirk asking, "Are you saying Hermione is a bad pick?"

Ginny froze and then adds, "Maybe, does that mean she's going to punish me?" she glanced sideways at Hermione who was nearby and huffed but Ron just looked confused.

Hermione glares at Ginny even if she couldn't totally keep the blush from her cheeks.

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Molly had spend Christmas at the Manor, or at least a little while before she followed the others thru to Sunnydale, which was where they were celebrating it. She felt like she was cheating with two Christmas so close together but she really wanted to spend some more time with Joyce, and even the two Mr. Giles' were nice to talk to. They had known how she felt and it was an unburdening experience.

She made mental plans to visit the manor a few more times the next six months or so before the kids returned as she had no doubt where they would be spending most of their summer.

Christmas in Sunnydale was not like it was at the Manor; there were no real gifts to exchange as they all did that on the tenth when it was Christmas at Hogwarts. That didn't stop them from sitting down for a Snoopy Christmas. Molly was surprised at the talking dog as entertainment but enjoyed the show.

"I never knew how much fun I could have skulking the shadows." Xander H said to the other Xander. "Last night we went hunting vampires in our Animagus forms. With two Buffs and a Kendra you almost need to be able to sniff them out…" he smiled widely showing he wasn't heart broken at that. "I found one and when I changed into a human with a stake I swear the vampire passed out from shock."

Xander L laughed loudly. _**'You know I miss hunting vampires but I like my new life.'**_ He grinned at his double. "I think we both are making a difference," he told him seriously, the humor of the moment lapsing. "Maybe there's more to that inner animals stuff then we first thought."

Xander H shrugs. "Maybe, but I couldn't see myself not patrolling and such. Not that it needs it here, with three slayers and our Animagus talents…" he shrugged again as if that was all he had to say on that.

LeVelle nods, "Yea, I can see that, have you started playing with fire as well?"

Harris agrees. "Only a small bit, I'll have to do the larger stuff at the Manor we don't have a warded place here. Anya wants to buy a house and ward it but money is a bit tight to fork out that much and I signed a lease here."

LeVelle returns a nod. "I'm surprised that Willow never sold any computer programs. I know that in our world she'd sold a couple of them for loads of cash."

The local winces at that missed opportunity. "She might have sophomore year, but when Janna was killed she pretty much stopped working computers so much and did magic, then Snyder made her teach computers and she spent far too much time around them to actually enjoy it…" he shrugged.

"Yea, I wouldn't have let the little troll do that!" he growled.

Xander shrugged. "I didn't have a lot of choice in the matter, and getting kicked out of school wouldn't have helped her."

He sighs giving a nod. "Are the runic traps for Glory still working? I had expected to have some hit on her by now."

Harris half shrugs before giving a nod. "Yea, but she's laying low. I'm not sure if she knows we're expecting her or what."

LeVelle gestures with a subtle humor. "I don't think Dawnie minds staying at the Manor."

Harris glares at the other Xander. "I have this shovel and…"

The Manor's Xander laughs. "I make no promises or rebuttals. For that you have to talk to the girls."

Harris gives him a disgruntled sigh before glaring more sternly at him. "She's too young for that kind of relationship."

He shrugs. "She's only two years younger than me, Xander." He shrugged again. "But you are right, not because of the age but she's just not mature enough right now. I think the girls would have more understanding of how mature she is and when she's ready. I know that Dawn was ready when she was that age because of the damned Powers and being ignored for her entire life." He shook his head.

"I understand and I have to admit if I was a senior this year and she was sophomore and attracted to me like that… and I wasn't with Anya, I would, no doubt, have that kind of relationship. Of course that doesn't mean I would have the paddles that do what yours do."

LeVelle was blushing furiously, "Oh my god! Who told you about that?"

Harris smirks. "I think giving them as gifts with rune logs to Harry and Ron for Christmas was a giveaway, I didn't get it until Anya demanded I make her one."

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The good news came the day after Sunnydale Christmas when a message for a meeting with Steadholder Mayhew was asked for, it was sent the night before.

Xander enters the office after being announced, "You wanted to see me sir?"

Xander smiles as he noticed the armsmen hadn't spotted him, even with the being announced, until he's voiced his question. The armsmen were silently berating themselves for their lack of attention and was more alert and on edge.

Xander ignored their alertness as he meant no ill will towards Michael.

"Yes. We've just finished the paperwork for the last four weeks, and well, quite frankly you're paperwork is swamping us."

The Steadholder laughs adding with a shrug. "What my advisers suggest is status updates every two months or every eight weeks. It just depends on you because they pay out when they process the paperwork."

"Honestly sir, I haven't even spent an Austin in the accounts, so it makes no sense to demand payment weekly. Every two months is fine by me, and honestly you're not charging me enough for the Naquadah."

Michael Mayhew smiled at the man. He knew he was missing something about the material he was harvesting but regardless of that he was happy that he was dealing with him. Already the Orbitals utilizing the LeVelle Nodes had tripled the Mayhew Steading's Net Growth, not even saying what that was doing to the Gross Steading Income.

"Maybe if it was something we valued or needed I might agree with you."

"Well I made sure that in the contract you are able to renegotiate at any time. I just feel as though I'm cheating you out of a great deal of money and time."

"I know you've been helping out quite a bit on Orbital Four. Captain Hill has informed me that we should really put you on the payroll as you are as reliable as any Grayson there."

He lifted his hand when Xander went to say something. "I've told him you were free to help out where you wanted to, as you're paid on commission of increase aside from the Austins you've earned with the patent and sale of those new nodes to the other Orbitals. I think that regardless of the value of your special heavy quarts; you've more than earned the Austins you have in your account. If it makes you feel better, then by all means make donations to charity or spend it on Grayson, I won't stop you." He smirked.

Xander sighed but nodded. "I take it you have some more paper work for me to sign then?"

He nodded still smirking and Xander signed it barely reading it, he'd already gleamed what it was from Michael but it was a sort of outward trust that was important.

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Xander returned to the apartment that held the Door, never noticing one of the Mayhew armsmen, Simon Fox, trailing after him. If Xander hadn't been soul searching at the time he might have picked up on it but he was distracted.

Fox wasn't usually with Michael's armsmen. When there's a surprise meeting that is scheduled with a high earner that isn't even Grayson, questions are asked by or to the head of Planetary Security.

As Fox watched the young man enter his apartment he sat and waited. He waited, and then waited some more before he quietly slipped in to see if the young lad was alright. He was registering no life in the apartment and that startled him.

Now Fox had another mystery. As he'd followed procedure which included recording any event that he was obtaining intelligence on, he now needed to know why and how the man vanished from his apartment. Suddenly the highly questionable larger money earner was an entirely new mystery. He would spend the next few months getting frustrated, and felt at times the young man was mocking him. Xander for his part wouldn't feel Fox and as the man was adept at controlling his emotions while on the job they lacked the peak that would ping his mind to look.

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When Xander arrived back at the Manor he was greeted by Duncan and Amanda. They both had that happy-go-lucky look about their faces.

"What's got your spirits so high?" he asked.

Amanda threw herself at him and hugged him like her life depended on it and Duncan was smiling.

"She's a bit…" he smirks, "I'd say she was acting like a pregnant woman."

Amanda glared at him with a mock angry looked that just didn't quite sit right on her utterly pleased face.

"I take it you came to see the little tyke. I think it is a 'him', right?"

Duncan shrugged; he'd not paid much attention. "Aye, we came to see him or her, I'm not sure which. Dawn said the baby was just finishing up the first trimester and everything seems to be going alright."

Amanda cheered, "I'm going to have a baby!"

She hugged Duncan this time. She was over a thousand years old and she'd never been this happy, she was going to be a mother and it was something that she'd never thought was possible.

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With so little slaying Riley and Buffy made a trip to Iowa. This was of course after the Manor Willow had mastered the portkey spell; she'd used a wand to make sure it worked right. They both had their Portkeys just in case Glory showed up. They would have taken a Door but Buffy didn't want to haul it around and they were flying out.

With the troubles they'd recently encountered in their relationship this would either help or break them and Giles wasn't really sure which he was hoping for. He himself was taking a week to visit Olivia in London and had his own portkey. He also had the new library on pad to go over without taking all his books.

Giles wasn't sure how wise this was but he had been going a bit stir crazy with double the Buffy and everything happening at the Manor. He was looking foreword to a nice relaxing week away from the kids, both his and the Manor's. He'd left Anya in charge; he really hoped she didn't drive away too many customers.

Willow and Anya had been having troubles, especially after Riley and she had done the ritual cleansing. The source of this trouble neither one was really sure of but they had a very unhealthy tendency to pull either Xander or Tara into it, expecting them to side with their partner. It didn't seem to be something they could help either and with the father-mentor away (he'd had a way of giving them a look that told them to shut up and get along), it was a chance their subconscious jumped at. The fact that Willow was a black footed cat, at least that was what she called it even when most of the others thought she was just a small housecat, had added a bit of cattiness to her and Anya's relationship.

Willow was in the magic shop. Usually with Giles she would ask and he'd pretty much let her do any spells she wanted so long as he found the reason not to arduous and the spell was remotely useful. Of course he kept track of the expenditures slyly to keep his inventory accurate.

Anya however was not Giles and when she went to take advantage of not having to explain the details of the spell she wanted to try Anya had all but accused her, and then did accuse her, of stealing.

When that didn't work she called Anya a fish relating her to the fish in the cat and the hat, which she knew Anya had no idea on and would further push her. When she tries to get Xander to say it's alright Anya wants him to refute it and they start, again, fighting over him.

The result was quite expected, Xander got fed up with it and told them to work it out on their own and he and Tara, who they'd also tried to bring into the argument, would be at LeVelle Manor. Anya had winced at the tone and the location, the fact that she didn't have a double there had made her feel like an outsider.

Tara had added, "And the longer it takes for you to work this little issue you two have out the more punishment will be doled out!"

Xander was surprised, not at the idea of her punishing Willow, as he wasn't thinking of it sexually, but at the hard firm tone that lacked anything of a stutter. This time it was Willow's turn to flinch.

Anya turns accusingly at Willow and sighs; she sits on a stool near the shelves and grabs a pencil and notepad. "I'm keeping track of EVERYTHING!"

"Fine!" said Willow and starts to set up the cauldron. "But I'm telling Giles when he gets back."

Anya looks at her with a look and she sighs again and says, "Fleabane" she measures out the amount needed for the spell.

"Fifteen cents" she says as she writes.

"Eyes of a salamander, non-magical" she adds that last and they both share a brief, very brief smile.

"Ten bucks for twelve. Bargain…" She gives Willow her best sales smile.

"I only used two."

Anya sighs and writes out, "One dollar and sixty _seven_ cents."

"Bindweed" Willow ignores her and puts it in.

"That's a pricey one it is" she says writing something down.

"Would you cut that out please it's very disturbing and distracting?"

"Fine, just make your little ball of sunshine. I'll be quiet!" she lies.

"Good! This spell is very sensitive. Once I begin, any non-ritual word can disrupt it."

She starts to mesh the ingredients together and ignoring Anya.

"Fine" Anya grouches.

"Here we are" Willow mumbles.

"Did you start yet?"

Giving Anya an annoyed look Willow tells her, "Shush, and no, but this is it."

"_Spirits of light_, _**I invoke thee**_. _Let the gloom of darkness part before you_."

There's a small sphere of light yellow slight orange starts to lift out of the cauldron and slowly spin on an unseen axis which pleased Willow and she almost sighs.

"_Let moonlight pale in your path, let the darkness diminish by your presence… spirits_-"

"Is it done?" Anya's nasal tone was meant to interrupt whatever success Willow had.

"Shush!"

The sphere seems to flash brighter with the surge of emotions from Willow.

"_**Spirits of light**_, _grant my wishes." _

Interrupting Willow again she insincerely says, "Sorry, I thought you were done."

Angry now she spins to Anya, "Do you want to screw this up?"

The sphere is much brighter now; the spinning seems to be tilting off its axis a bit and looks erratic.

Almost smiling she says sarcastically, "No. No. I'm sure you can do that all on your own."

"Anya, whatever really has you mad, why don't you just say it! Like you do every other thought that seeps out from your brain?"

She stands up angry herself. "I have said it."

"No." Willow shakes her head, "No, you haven't. Come on. Let it out!"

The sphere suddenly drops down through the glass of the countertop and touches a large crystal that had been inside the display case under the cauldron that was formerly simmering. A bright flash of light is let out and suddenly there is a very large demon, well Willow thought it was a demon until she recalled the image of the magical trolls from Harry's world. He looked just like one.

Olaf suddenly appears next to the counter. Willow and Anya shriek and grab each other. The troll stumbles and gets his balance before he looks around. He is about seven feet tall, with long hair and green skin but unlike the trolls he doesn't smell and has the added bit of two curved horns on his head. In his hands instead of a club he has a very large magical hammer.

Anya and Willow stare in shock for different reasons. When he turns they scream and Olaf uses his hammer to smash the display case full of merchandise, then another, growling the entire time. Then he smashes a statue on a pedestal. He goes to the door and stumbles outside, still roaring.

Willow and Anya come forward.

"Well isn't he a ball of sunshine?" she says sarcastically.

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They had taken Giles's convertible; it wasn't like he was using it in London. Unfortunately Anya drove like she talked which meant she was going to hit something.

"There, he banged up that parked car we're defiantly still on his trail."

"I don't even get how we made that guy, because, wow, advanced!"

She had some papers and a book with her in the car as she was trying to look thru it to see what she missed.

Anya growls, "No one made him. He must have been trapped in that crystal, and _**you **_released him."

"_**I**_ released him?" Willow shakes her head firmly, "Oh no missy! This is a 'we', definitely a 'we' thing here. Or maybe it was a 'you' thing, I think this feels like it's a 'you' thing."

"Look," said Anya feeling vulnerable for some reason and not wanting Willow to think too much more on that (you thing). She had no idea on how much Willow, or those books on Anyanka, had in them. She didn't want Willow thinking on that just now, "Just find the reversal spell, alright? And hurry!"

She gestured taking her hands away from the steering wheel, "Look at what he did the lamppost."

The car swerved and she grabbed the wheel 'just in time' to avoid hitting a parked car. In the street the said lamppost was lying on the ground, broken in two.

Willow growled at her, "I'm trying but it would help if the wind wasn't all blowy, put up the top would you?"

Anya whined, "I don't know how to put up the top. I only just figure out how to use the left and right pedal." With a mocking smiled, "They're 'go' and 'stop'!" somehow Willow didn't think she was mocking in that she just learned what the pedals did. That the car slammed to a stand still slamming Willow into the front hard was a show of that; or perhaps a show that she had excellent control and wanted Willow to be in a bit more pain.

"You don't know how to drive?" She growls, "Why didn't you let me drive?"

"Well, I couldn't know if I could until I tried, could I?" it was as though it made perfect sense to Anya.

Willow looked at her with no small amount of anger muttering, "This is very, so very-very bad and there's an ogre or a troll loose in town…" she was babbling

Anya cut her off, "Troll."

Willow stops and asks, "What?"

"He isn't an ogre, he's a troll, now hold on tight!" she presses the gas smiling as the car approaches the corner. "I'm going to press the go harder."

They two girls are slammed back into the seat as the car peels out and turns the corner. The papers rattling in the wind and Willow's anger isn't abating.

"There's a troll on the loose, and you're gonna crash Giles's car!"

Anya agrees, "It is very likely. We are going exceptionally fast." She glances over at her, "You should have listened to me and not done the spell! Giles put me in charge!"

"Giles can be an idiot. The smart kind, but still!" she mutters.

"Xander agreed."

"Oh, right. Xander never steps out of line."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing!" said Willow a bit too quickly.

Anya looks over and when she looks ahead she almost hits a car, swerving quickly the car screeches and several pages fly out the open roof of the car.

"Find that spell quickly!"

"It's gone, the pages blew away" she shouts accusingly.

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Harris and Tara get to the RV and enter going thru the Door to the LeVelle Manor with great relief.

"You two look upset!" Giles observed, "What's going on?"

Xander turns to Tara, "Tara, you want to tell him? If I do it, I'll sound like I'm whining."

She smiles sweetly, _**'Xander is such a sweetie.'**_ She thinks fondly before turning to Giles, "Willow has a thorn in her paw and has named it Anya. Anya has been purposely antagonistic as well to make sure the thorn is good and deep."

"Oh dear!" Giles offers a wide smile as he mutters, "I do hope the shop is in one piece, my other self will be most displeased."

"How good is your repair spell with that wand?" Xander said nervously.

"I can repair most non magical items just fine, it is the magical things or effects I am worried for."

Xander seemed to let that make up his mind and nods. "I'm going to go find Buffy and Kendra and ask them to go keep an eye on them, just in case." He rushes off worried even more.

Giles laughs and Tara sighs, "He is such a sweetie."

"When are you going to inform him and Willow that you wish to bed the lad?"

She blushes severally and looks at him shocked. "I… I am not…" seeing his look she sighs and whines, "I don't know."

He nods. "Perhaps you should approach the idea of a girls' night in and include Anya, she was a former vengeance demon and is not likely to take to the idea unless it is inclusive."

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Buffy, looking at the shop entrance, mutters, "It looks like Giles is right, again."

Kendra nods. "Yes, it seems that way." She was getting better at the TH part of the words and it showed.

"We should follow the trail of destruction."

Kendra nodded and they made their way out the shop sending a mental message to Giles that he was correct. It took a bit more effort to send messages when Giles, or anyone, was at the Manor but it was a practice that they tried to do as much as possible to build up the ability.

It was almost three miles before they found Giles's car at a bar. They shared a look that didn't need a mental communication. They would be talking about the girls taking the bosses car out for a joy ride to the local bar. They both grin. The bar was one that was familiar, it was the same bar that the bar tender had turned the kids into cavemen. Luckily the man wasn't there, as that would have distracted them from their target. Willow and Anya weren't actually fighting each other much to the two's surprise.

Willow had a book open as she read, "Let the conjuring be-"

Olaf suddenly stops drinking and looks over at them, "Stop!"

They all look up at him. He growls.

Buffy and Kendra were shocked when Willow actually stops and starts to whine, "Nobody lets me finish!"

The troll was glaring at Anya, "You… you told that witch to do that, Anyanka."

Anya, Buffy could tell looked quite alarmed.

"You seem determined to put an end to all my fun, just like you always did when we were dating!"

Buffy was shocked, "Uh, um… you dated him?"

If it wasn't for the fact that she was relieved that the two slayers were there she might have answered.

"You dated a troll?" Kendra said surprised.

Cattily Willow snarks, "And we're what, surprised by this?"

Anya hisses, "He wasn't a troll then! You know, he was just a big dumb guy, and-" She shrugged sheepishly. "You know; he cheated on me and I turned him into a troll; which was, by the way, how I got the, um job as a vengeance demon."

The hammer from the troll smashes the countertop and the patrons scream and scatter.

"I did _not_ cheat! Not in my heart!" he corrects sounding almost human with his whine, if you ignored the green skin, horns, and memory of him claming to eat babies.

"It was only one wench, and I had a great deal of mead! Next thing I know I'm a troll! Oh you did this, Anyanka. You will die for this."

Kendra looked at him appraisingly. "You seem to enjoy being a troll."

Olaf shrugs. "I adjusted! Then what happens? Witches!" he glares at Willow.

Willow looks offended as he adds, "Filthy, dirty, disgusting witches. They trapped me. I was imprisoned in that crystal for centuries. Oh, a curse on all witches! All must die!"

Buffy hurriedly says, "Willow, do the spell again."

"Uh, oh" she looks down at the book. "Let the conjuring be undone. Return the beast to native form…

Olaf rushed toward them. "Witch, you will stop!"

Willow words become rushed, with less power intoned. "Keep it far from us and ours as long as my voice shall sound."

Olaf pauses, looks down at himself. Nothing happens. He begins to laugh.

Willow flips pages frantically. "It didn't work!"

"Okay, wait! Uh oh yea, let the conjuring-"

Olaf lunges forward.

Buffy and Kendra act, the knife slams home into the troll's heart but he glares at the dark skinned slayer as he jerks it out and slams it into the floor.

He staggers out as the slayers follow.

Willow and Anya get up and return to the magic shop by way of Giles's convertible.

Willow is looking at bookshelves and turns to Anya at the door. "Hurry up!"

Anya asks her almost whining, "What are you looking for then?"

"Everything on relocation spells, suspension spells, and, what the heck, spells to make him really sleepy." She mutters something about it being better.

Anya approaches the counter with an arm full of supplies.

Seeing this Willow gives her a look.

Anya shrugs. "In case we need 'em, I'm getting more of all the things you stole. "

"I didn't - why do you do that?" she actually stopped looking for things.

"What?" she asks as the returns to gather things that might be needed for spells.

"You're so rude!" she said honestly. "I mean, yea sure, at first, ex-demon, doesn't know the rules of polite society. Well now that I think of it, you've been here for like ever, plenty of times to I don't know, learn the rules."

Anya huffs, putting more stuff on the table, "Rules are stupid!"

Willow mutters, "Great, whatever!" before returning to the books, a few moments pass in silence.

"I just thought, you might be interested in learning to act more human. Some of us enjoy it. Oh, look for, uh, spells with dimensional portals too."

Greatly offended by Willow insinuation, "I _am_ a human. And there are… many humans who are stranger than me."

Sarcastically Willow nods. "Uh huh, however unless I'm really wrong about Larry at the bus stop there's no way he's going to turn Xander into a TROLL."

"Oh no, it's a very complicated process…" she paused and a sudden light goes off behind her eyes and she accuses Willow, "You think I'm going to hurt Xander."

Willow looked surprised she picked that up so fast but didn't deny it.

"I wouldn't ever hurt Xander!" Anya was adamant but Willow looks skeptical so Anya resolute. "I wouldn't, you really think I'd do that?"

"Anya, it's what you do." Willow sniffed disdainfully. "You spent what, a thousand years hurting men? You got your "thousand years of hurting men" gold watch and all that."

Insistent and a bit worried she says, "I was a demon then!" she starts to babble about powers and ferret and not a lot she could do to anyone but bunnies and then holds up a book. "Is this the spell?"

"Only if you want him to double in size!" she said almost condescendingly before she adds, "and grow extra arms… so let's not." She glares at the former demon. "You weren't a demon when you turned Olaf into a Lord of Hammers, how did you manage that, being human and all, like you are now?"

Anya winces at that. "I don't do magic, except turn into a ferret. You're the one with that kind of mojo. D'Hoffryn isn't offering me jobs anymore. Maybe it's you who will hurt Xander."

The fact that he did wasn't lost on the witch. "Xander's my best friend!"

Anya nods. "And you don't want anyone else to have him."

Willow growls possessively. "That isn't it."

"I know it was you who broke him and Cordelia up. I know it was you and your lips!" Anya licks her lips unconsciously.

"No it wasn't!" Willow said firmly then winced. "Well, maybe it was. So but… it was a long time ago and do you think I would do it again?"

"Why not, he really is good at kissing and other things; sex is his superpower you know."

Willow groans as she was rather turned on. "Hello, gay now."

"I don't know, seeing Willow and Cordelia I would think they were gay too, and you're always doing everything you can to point out how much of an outsider I am. You've known him since you were squalling infants and you'll always know him better" she was sniffing now fighting tears. "It wouldn't take much to sweep in and, and poison his mind against me."

Willow looked at her seriously. "You really are insane; I'm not in anyway going to take Xander away from anyone. I'm not going to hurt him like that."

"Well I'm not either, now what about this spell."

The spell to remove the hammer from the troll, and the source of his added strength was not simple and Anya distracted him from the slayers and from Willow as she did the spell. When the hammer flew out from his hands into the wall, Kendra hit him again with the long knife Xander gave her and he stated to die, this time.

"He just vanished?" Willow then whines at the lost chance to do magic, "I was going to send him to troll land!"

"You are going to go tell Giles what you did; and you" Buffy turns to Anya and smirks, "are going to itemize how much was destroyed for when Giles gets back. That way you can tell him and regardless of if it was Willow or you, it was your responsibility to make sure that magic done in the shop wasn't going to raise ex-boyfriends that you turned into monsters that eat innocents. And just to let you know, cheating on a boyfriend warrants a smack in the face, a knee to the nuts if it was with a friend and wasn't acceptable, and possibly a break up. It doesn't give you the right to put innocents in danger!"

Buffy glares at Anya, who looks down before starting to babble, "I know, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking then, and that's why I had the witches trap him. I do wonder how Giles got the crystal." She adds with a mutter, "It wasn't supposed to turn him into a troll in that sense of the word." Her mutter was turning into a whine, "He looked very handsome and it was supposed to turn him physically ugly… that's all!"

Buffy sighs. "Did you two work out your sexual frustrations with each other yet?"

They both froze and blushed severally. Up until now they'd completely avoided that idea.

TSGB3-TSGB3-TSGB3


	5. Meet SGC and the Asguard

The Scooby Gang

Book III: Settling Inn

Disclaimer: I have no property rights to any published or copyrighted material that is reserved to those that make money from ideas which I do not.

Summery: The third book on the now dimensionally stranded Scoobies. With the manor stuck in Yellow Space they utilize the doors to have a life outside the manor as the group grows closer to finding their personal place in multiverse..

Sequel to '_The Scooby Gang Book 1'_ and _'The Scooby Gang Book 2'_

Warning: Multi Ship M/FFF ahead!

Crossovers: Harry Potter, Stargate, Honor Harrington, and Highlander

CHAPTER 5: Meet SGC and the Asgard

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The Magic Box was repaired, the troll's hammer was taken to LeVelle Manor, and Willow and Anya had been cornered by Tara, who didn't believe their denials of UST. The disbelief may or may not have been because Tara had been close to broaching the subject of bedding the local Xander together. After all if they denied being attracted to each other so stoutly…? Well she eventually threatened to gain Xander's permission to punish Anya if they didn't start to work things out or at least stop lying.

Giles returned upset, not at the kids but… he shared with Joyce and Giles at the manor that the reason Olivia had upset him was she'd called him on the idea that he had no intention of staying; he'd gone to London to see her for a booty call and had no investing emotions concerning her in a relationship.

The fact that Olivia was correct was what disturbed Giles as he didn't realized that was what he was doing. She told him she'd welcome him back as a friend but not as a lover.

While Giles was speaking with Joyce about Olivia Xander L came rushing into the room and passed them.

"What's going on?" Sunnydale's Giles asked as he followed Xander. He was in the room that Egeria was utilizing to make Naquadah powered items.

Xander shares hurriedly, "There's an Asgard Ship in Harriet and Allen's world. They asked me to come by yesterday because of a strange reading on the gravimetric viewing platform I sent them. It was made to simply alert you of incoming gravimetric reading along the boarder of the solar system. I got there and we were able to track an Asgard ship, Egeria was able to identify it thru the scout I had with me and what I sent her…"

Egeria spoke up as she was there, "The Asgard people of my old world were wiped out by Ra. This isn't the interesting part of the story however, the most interesting thing is that the Asgard ship is, or at least was, infested with a rather nasty little machine race. Not like Eric's world but more of an infestation and I'd think the Asgard should be able to deal with a simple infestation!"

Egeria was frowning in consternation before she sighs, realizing things would be different in this different realm. "I gather they put up quite a resistance to Ra when he wiped them out. He lost a fourth of his fleet and that included the special commandos that were the only Jaffa to have access to some rather advanced technology he hoarded."

Sunnydale's Giles nods, "I see, and you are…?"

Egeria smiles, "I've been piecing together one of the weapons that deal with the infestation. Ra had this weapon widely known, to everyone even those who were rivals or disliked. The abomination was one thing that he didn't care who claimed the kill of." Her smile was rueful.

Xander adds, "They also had humans on that ship, three of them in uniform just prior to the crash. I'd like to know if we have some kind of treaty but regardless I doubt the crash would have destroyed those little buggers."

Giles grins at the British slang Xander obviously picked up from his counter part that lived with him at LeVelle Manor, "Are you going with him, Egeria?"

She really wanted to, if her exhale gave any indication, but reluctantly shakes her head before she explains, "I have yet to find out if there are any other of my race there or if they are all hostile."

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They found the local Chappa'ai which was on a base, so that was telling. Xander approached the entrance to NORAD HQ, in Cheyenne Mountain; the corporal of the guard was an enlisted.

"Could you please inform General Hammond" he'd pulled the name from the man's mind, "that he has an unexpected visitor from out of town?" Xander pauses and pulls out a small sack of refined Naquadah. "Tell him this is of the material that is inside the Chappa'ai."

The man froze at the word used giving Xander a sharp nod, "If you would step this way sir; are you armed?"

"Always" he said with a slight glare. "Though the weapons I have are non-projectile. I'll be more then willing to relinquish them so long as I have your personal word on their return."

He held his glare and Corporal Dammars nods nervously, "You have my word sir!"

Xander could hear the qualifier that added if he wasn't there to hurt them.

Looking around Xander frowns, "Do you have box I can put them into?"

The man gulped and Xander smiled slightly. He had four knives, a stake that was one he always carried, a Zat'nik'tel, and three golf balls, well they looked like golf balls.

The Zat gained some shock but he closed the lid and nodded.

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General Hammond was not amused from what the enlisted man shared, he looks at Xander as he enters, "Son, how did you get a Zat?"

Xander smiles, "I'm not from this world. Oh I'm from Earth, but due to some super powered cluster fuck, I, and my group, ended up in the space between worlds, between Earths."

Hammond reaches with mental reluctance to a drawer and Xander froze ready to act. Instead of a weapon to use against him the general pulled out a packet of antacid, a weapon all the same but the enemy was clearly a growing ulcer.

Xander was amused.

Hammond drops two tabs into a half a cup of water and fills the fizzing cup up before turning his undivided attention to the visitor. "Why have you made contact with me?"

It was quite obvious the young man had not needed the gate or any such thing to get here so he was at a loss as to why he would come to the one place that might limit his travel, or try to.

Xander gestures, almost a shrug, "I got your name from the guard." He smiles slightly, "Although I'm sure he doesn't know that. We were tracking down the Chappa'ai which took some time. Then yesterday we found a gravimetric disturbance approached the planet."

It shouldn't have surprised Hammond but it did, and Xander paused at the General's gesture, he let it settle as the general took a drink of the fizzy antacid before waving him to continue.

Xander went on, "Seeing as the Asgard were wiped out by Ra on the only Earth to hold an active Chappa'ai, that I know of, we were surprised when one of them appeared in Earth space. We thought that maybe the Goa'uld had been conquered or never rose to power here. Without knowing we were hesitant to approach. Not only that but we looked online and such and could find nothing about the Chappa'ai or anything else regarding space travel, and wormhole travel is nothing but fiction or theory without any practice to support the supposition. It was obvious that nobody was talking."

Xander shakes his head to clear the thought, "Anyways we were tracking the Chappa'ai until yesterday. That was when we determined where it was. Before we could make any plans to approach the issue with the Asgard popped up, not only that but the fact that they didn't wipe out the little abominations that were infecting their ship…" he shook his head, "Egeria said even Ra was willing to share the information on how to deal with them, and that was with allies, or I should say underlings, as well a rivals."

George looked as though he'd leapt up as his back was so suddenly stiffened; looking at the young man with interests, "You have a way to deal with them?"

Xander nods and pulls out the flash drive. "This is a flash drive with the designs. We have a working modal in the RV parked down the road. I don't think the abominations are dead from the crash and we charted the ship until it hit water."

George couldn't help but mutter, "Good god. What is it you want?"

"Information on what's happened the last five thousand or so years. Egeria believes that the human population somehow vanquished Ra or killed him off way back when. There are other worlds that don't house a Chappa'ai, at least not an active one. Those worlds seem to have the same national boundaries so…?"

George smiles slightly. It now made a bit more sense; if Egeria was who he thought it was, then the young man was allied with the mother of the Tok'ra, turning to the doorway he barked out a command, "Airman, get Mr. LeVelle his things and set up a VIP quarters for him."

Xander shook his head and shrugs. "I hadn't planned on staying. I have a job in another realm in the morning. They just like me to cut thru the bullshit; it seems everyone else thinks tiptoeing around the topics that need to be discussed is some kind of art form, sir."

He looked up at the door as he felt someone approached. A blond with short hair and intelligent eyes entered with three others.

Xander felt Teal'c and gave a half bow. "I didn't realize that there was Jaffa here." He had glanced at General Hammond when he said that. "You don't serve the false gods?" He didn't recognize the symbol but knew it represented a Goa'uld.

Teal'c's face remained stoic but his mind smiled widely at the visitor's question.

General Hammond speaks up before Teal'c did, "This is Teal'c, he's part of Colonel O'Neill's team, my flag team for first contact situations."

Xander nods and glances at O'Neill and then the others.

"This is Alexander LeVelle." Hammond gestures, "He's come with a few… conditional gifts. He's from an alternative Earth and doesn't have much time but he has some information on how to deal with the replicators."

Xander blinked at that term, "That's what you call them?" he said incredulously. "I get it, but still, I think replicator I think of a Star Trek food processor."

Jack smirks. "What would you call them?"

"Abomination?" he offers. "That's the closest Egeria could translate the meaning of, of course Ra named them, so it might be lacking in imagination."

Sam perks up with spike of emotion, "Egeria?" her voice was laden with too much shock, need, and loss.

Xander scans her surface thoughts quickly; "Egeria was a queen here?" he was surprised, "She wasn't a queen on the world we rescued her from."

Ever inquisitive Daniel Jackson inquires, "What world was that?"

Xander shrugs, "An Earth where Ra ruled three galaxies. We didn't leave a method of getting back there, we simply took everything we could and set traps to destroy the Goa'uld seat of power."

Teal'c nodded in what could only be seen as respect. It was a simple tactic that would have likely been severally over thought if not followed thru right away.

Jack had a face that said he didn't like the answer but not because he didn't believe it. Nobody asked how he came up with his knowledge of Egeria's queen status.

"If it's alright with you, I'll let Allen and Harriet in on what's going on. Then you can deal with us thru them. They have a method of getting to my home."

Sam was curious, the way Xander said 'method,' spoke as something unique that was going to be a surprise, "Where do you live?"

Xander could almost feel the curiosity and intrigue in her mind when she spoke. There was also something added, something he wasn't use to outside of the girls, a sexual curiosity about him.

"In-between worlds, I think. We have a shield that was meant to protect us on our old Earth. It dealt with higher energy physics and energy manipulation, and fortunately there was an unknown element in the matrix that literally pulled us from the planet thru dimensional boundaries. We didn't land on another planet and we eventually utilized the element in the matrix to create Doorways to different realms of Earth. We couldn't find our home and we recently ran out of options as far as finding our old home. We did find an Earth that had very similar history but was two years ahead of us, we even had older analogs there but it wasn't the same."

"You can actually exist there? I thought that entropy cascade failure would…"

Xander thought for a moment, Sam was thinking about the incident that happened the year previous and Xander could read what happened and also understand why from her perspective.

"That would only happen if you shared a soul with the analogue. The very molecules have a chaotic signature, no two doubles are exactly the same, they would change from meal to meal and a trip thru the Chappa'ai would break down the energy barrier easily enough." He shakes his head, "No, the only reason why anyone would be slowly pushed out of existence would be because something much stronger than the physical nature of reality was forced to choose existence inside one or the other."

Sam frowned and then scrunched up her nose.

Jack was smiling, as what he'd said made sense but to clarify he asks, "So we could go thru to another parallel SGC and wouldn't suffer from that wiggly thing?"

Xander smiles at the Colonel. "You might, it depends on how closely related the dimensions are. Regardless of that, most of the places that are actually parallel would be far too close. It's like looking at things with red shift or blue shift lenses making you see the same things but with a slightly different perception. It's the same on the basic level of cosmetology when dealing with the natural order of things versus unnatural order of things. Life and death are natural and the soul is part of that. Most things that are alive have a soul and that soul is a type of energy that deals with higher physics, something that many even today would call magic, but that word and belief is very deceptive because it bulks at the idea of it being explainable by scientific study."

Sam was nodding and about to speak when Xander turns to General Hammond and says, "General, if we could speed this up, Harriet and Allen are likely getting nervous."

The General nods to his 2IC. "Jack, could you escort Mr. LeVelle to get his things and let him introduce you to his two friends. They won't mind getting screened by medical will they?"

"So long as any abnormalities are only discussed in house, I'll not have friends discriminated against by the chain of command because they're different."

The general firmly approves, "Agreed!"

Xander led Jack and the rest of SG1 to his things and they were surprised that he had a Zat, though they shouldn't have been, they realized. The fact that he was taking it with him and had a sheath that seemed to make it invisible to the naked eye added to the mystery.

TSGB3-TSGB3-TSGB3

Xander sighs when he returns to the RV and walks thru the doorway to the manor. He'd added a few runes to the Door before they approached the base to make it almost indestructible. It could be ground zero or inside the backlash of the 'star gate' and still be solid. He'd started to feel uncomfortable calling the 'gate' a Chappa'ai. He knew it was the inner Treecat picking up on their emotions rather then the aspect of demon picking up on their thoughts.

Xander also felt a touch relieved, he was sure he was going to get sucked into their conflict. It sat with him just like the way the star nations of Manticore verses Haven Republic had riled him. He was sure that he'd be far too busy to worry about their realm personally. Not only was he spending time ensuring the Grayson Orbital Four was working right, he was also picking up the science and practical math from Grayson. The men all knew things that were slightly above his educational level from school. One gift the aspect of demon had imparted was the ability to absorb understandings while people only explained things in vague terms. He wondered if the soul searching he'd done had given his intelligence a boost, after all he wasn't specifically trying to read individual thoughts.

Suddenly he got a shot of information incoming from the doorway to the RV, it was from Allen. They moved the Door to the VIP suite and he wanted him to know. He put a note on the calendar beside the Door and sent him a message.

'_**I left a note for anyone going thru the Door that it's at a military installation. Make sure to let Ritchey know, I think he was planning on staying there for a while anyway and we can send another shrunk Doorway to you to collect him. How goes the hunt on the sea for the crash?'**_

'_**They already knew where it was to some degree but they're sending out that prototype to the area with Jack and Teal'c. Hammond said they had some word about a Russian sub in the area so they aren't sure if they've picked anything up or not.'**_

'_**Good luck.'**_

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It hadn't been three hours after he'd put the Doorway note on the calendar that he got another message.

'_**Xander, Allen here. Could you send Dawn thru with all the information we have on cloning, or anything medical having to do with genetics? The Asgard people here are… they're Roswell grays!'**_

Xander had sensed a note of incredulity from Allen and his wife telling him to hurry with the message because the Asgard weren't staying long.

Xander rushes to Dawn in the room that housed the medical stuff, one which included the birthing tube. "Dawn could you take everything you have on chip concerning the medical field, and take it thru to Allen and Harriet. I guess one of the good guys there needs it."

She nodded and smiled at Xander's reluctance, she could tell it was in his voice. He was reluctant to go there and 'get attached'. He liked Grayson much more than he let on, and he let on that he liked it despite the social issues they have

It didn't take even five minutes, not with the computer system they'd set up and it was easily able to highlight all books and medical texts that had information on biology, cloning, and a brief outline on nanotechnology.

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Hammond had understood Xander's concern when he stood by during the basic medical screening. The young man, Allen, had spikes or horns he could bring out on his face at will. That wasn't something he liked to think about but he could see the NID wanting to experiment on him. That wasn't even to touch on the base line tests that showed the muscle density which would be a measure of strength and the proteins in his blood. The woman was normal as could be but the man? He'd make an outstanding soldier if he chose to be.

After the Asgard arrived, as he knew they would, George had given over the chip from Xander. They were surprised, not that you could tell. But then not even ten minutes later, they were going to take Carter with them to the Ida Galaxy to help with their replicator infestation, another unknown female showed up from the Door. Allen seemed pleased as did his wife and the young girl that couldn't be more then sixteen approached their ally and offered another chip.

Dawn smiles at the alien, "This is all I could get on short notice about cloning, medical tech, and nanotech."

She grinned widely for some reason and nodded.

The Asgard mind was much more advance, not telepathic but much more organized and he felt Dawn's gentle push and giving of information. She felt his surprise. It seemed to Thor that the humans were especially good at surprising them.

Hammond thanked her as well and grudgingly had Dawn returned to the Door. He felt a bit exposed but the fact was that they were helping an ally; he'd have to ask Mr. Doyle to alert him when things needed to be… retrieved or seen to.

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Several days after Allen's arrival, SG1 were in the debriefing room. Allen and Harriet were there as well. Hammond decided that they'd sit in on a few briefings that had to do with what they'd contributed. Jack and Teal'c share their love for the small hand held prototype they'd provided. Jack had shared that it 'killed the bugs, dead!' It had evidently been able to go through several miles of water as well as the entire submarine.

Samantha had returning by way of the Gate, the Asgard had retaken their world and they'd had much larger 'anti spider ray guns' as Jack calls them. She was giving her breakdown of what happened, and the outcome of it, for Earth.

"He said that they could not do anything that was a direct violation of the treaty because they agreed to it in good faith, however they have skirted their rights with many different technicalities and there are several places the wording of the treaty is purposely vague but they'd not become involved due to the war with the replicators and the fact that they did not believe that their race would have even ten more years of life before they can no longer sustain themselves in organic form."

"Explain that to me again Major Carter."

"They're dieing sir. I knew that before but I didn't know how close they were…" she shook her head. "It seems that Loki wasn't actually that mad of a scientist, just desperate, and saw Jack as a possible _savior_ for their race."

"Jack?" Allen asked, they'd been offered to sit in on debriefings and offer insight and if possible solutions depending on their technology base.

Samantha blushed but Jack nodded. "I was cloned and my clone was younger because of something the Asgard put into me to prevent genetic manipulation, including cloning."

"Is he alright? I don't see him around."

They fidget a bit.

"He's gone back to high school."

Harriet blanches. "Are you crazy? Do you have any idea how bored stiff smart people are the first time through high school?"

Jack suddenly blanches and looked at George. "I think Sam could approach him covertly and see if he wishes to see other worlds not associated with the SGC."

The general was looking at the two visitors and adds, "I'm sure that his being a clone wouldn't demean his rights with you. I couldn't guarantee that here."

"I'll talk to Giles and Xander." Allen stated firmly, "I'm sure we'll find a place for him, and if he does go back to school it would be someplace he'd have other tasks that required his being there covertly."

Sam blanches thinking of the missed opportunities the black ops soldier would be kicking himself for neglecting before continued the brief, "The method of their cloning is an issue because one of the problems they face is that when they use a clone body that was flash-grown, they literally move the consciousness into the still unformed mind of the body which removes it from the old. One of the things that are becoming an issue is that the brains are not up to what they need to sustain the transfer. They are losing themselves in every transfer. In some of the cases that's motor control and coordination and in other cases that is eyesight and hearing. Usually they can attempt to correct the issues medically, but they are getting to the point where they can't and that is where that information your friend gave him comes into play. Evidently it had quite a bit of medical technology including cloning and a process of utilizing simple nanites to adjust the DNA in the area that controls the telomeres and telomerase. It seems to be a simple use of the nanites adjusting them with a medical device to ensure they are complete and then ejecting them from the system."

Harriet nods, "Yes, we all took to the _Prolong Treatment._ It slows the aging process."

"I wouldn't mind if you talked with Dr. Frasier about that" General Hammond said and then turned to Samantha, "I take it the Asgard said something else?"

"They gave us all the information they had on the Goa'uld. This is mostly stuff that was collected automatically. They also have the gate addresses for every gate in the Milky Way, Ida, and Pegasus. They've listed the ones that were unsafe by their understanding and it will take some time decipher but they did include reasons for it being unsafe."

George smiled at that, it was a good thing.

"They also included a list of worlds that we 'might' find advanced technology on that would aid us in our struggle. They recommended that the _Regeneration_ and _Prolong_ be one of the things we offered to those not wishing to have a Primta…"

She glanced at Harriet and Allen before glancing at Teal'c.

"I see. Would that prevent the need of a symbiote pouch Major?"

"I believe it would with what they showed me."

"Dawn isn't a doctor yet. I'm not sure she's prepared to do something that extreme, sir, but there are doctors in that realm that we can see to privately. From what Egeria shared about Primta and Jaffa there isn't a lot the medical in the other realms would help with it. It would need to be on Manticore or Beowulf, which means a week's travel before they even get there."

"Week's travel?" he paused, his eyes widened. "Those are planets?"

Allen nods explaining. "They have wormholes there that are natural spatial and gravimetric phenomenon. They believe these are a natural result of gravity and they use them as a means of propulsion. The way Xander explained it is the easiest I've heard it explained. They use the fabric of the space that is between hyperspace and normal space; they call it 'bands of hyperspace'. Xander has taken to calling what you call hyperspace 'subspace' just to eliminate the confusion when speaking to the people of that realm. The people there aren't actually producing the wormhole effect; the wormhole junction is at least seven days travel from where the entry point is now, at least in the lower bands of hyperspace. Needless to say I'm sure he would be willing but I would hold off and see if Dawn will be able to do it and if not then what she has to learn before she can. She has all she needs; it's simply that she's not been trained to be a multi use doctor."

George nods. "Perhaps after the meeting you can find out and see if it would be longer or shorter or if she doesn't feel comfortable, perhaps you could invite Doctor Frasier with you?"

They nod.

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	6. Teaching Apparition Made Easy, April, an

The Scooby Gang

Book III: Settling Inn

Disclaimer: I have no property rights to any published or copyrighted material that is reserved to those that make money from ideas which I do not.

Summery: The third book on the now dimensionally stranded Scoobies. With the manor stuck in Yellow Space they utilize the doors to have a life outside the manor as the group grows closer to finding their personal place in multiverse..

Sequel to '_The Scooby Gang Book 1'_ and _'The Scooby Gang Book 2'_

Warning: Multi Ship M/FFF ahead!

Crossovers: Harry Potter, Stargate, Honor Harrington, and Highlander

CHAPTER 6: Teaching Apparition Made Easy, April, and Plans

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When Buffy and Riley returned from Iowa Buffy was depressed for some reason. Having enough of it Willow finally corners the blond slayer and solider, crossing her arms she put on the resolve face she'd recently practiced with her double, and demands to know, "What's going on with you two?"

Riley sighs and explains, "Buffy and I have… decided to take a break for a while." He glances from Buffy to the redhead inquisitor and back warily for a moment.

Willow looses the resolve face instantly and babbles out quickly, "What, why, what happened?"

It was a testament to recent events that she didn't accuse Riley of hurting her friend. He winces from the thought; personally he felt he had. "I think it was a mutual thing."

Willow was glancing from him to Buffy and Buffy nodded at his words adding her own with a sniffle. "I realized that we love each other but…" She looked at Riley, words were failing her.

He nods and explains, "I think that she saw my parents and realized that we didn't have what they had. They complimented each other in ways that weren't just fighting against the demons or circumstances."

Willow frowns and asks confused, "Your parents didn't like you as a couple?"

He shrugs and tries to explain, "My parents were very accepting of our relationship but… really…" he looked at Buffy. He was at a loss and his expression was easily read by even Willow. It was his saying, 'you were there Buffy, what was it?' even if he wasn't voicing it.

Buffy shrugs at him before turning to Willow, "They could read us like a book! I mean they knew right away what our issues were, relationship issues and insecurities. They don't know about vampires and such, at least I don't think they do…" she looked at Riley and he shook his head that he hadn't shared that and they hadn't said anything about it. Buffy shrugs. "They knew somehow Riley was feeling that he had to prove himself to me, which he feels I know, but that's totally bullocks!"

Willow blinks in surprise at her word choice, "You spent way too much time around Spike before he was dust if you're using that word."

Buffy winces before glancing wryly at Riley and continuing, "They could also tell I had a dark side, I don't know if they could feel the slayer or if it was just personality…"

"Mom could always tell when I was up to something." He was smiling in memory, "I thought at times she was psychic."

"So you're taking a break…?" Willow asked while looking between the two and than adding to Riley, "And you're staying in town, right?"

He nods his agreement with that. "I think that if we try we might patch things up but to do that we need to be friends for a while. Mom said that her best friend was her husband and dad agreed. If we can't be friends than we really shouldn't be lovers."

Willow looked shocked.

Buffy winced as she knew Xander was her best friend. Willow might well be her best female friend but Willow had a habit of just going along with whatever Buffy's choices were rather than being honest like Xander.

"Right, just friends," Willow said skeptically, "no hanky panky? I see this lasting a week before you either drive yourself insane or are in a room shagging for days." She smirked when she said the word shagging; it was another word Spike often said.

Willow's words seemed to form a solid shield of resolve around the two. It would be one week and one day before they decided friends with benefits was the best of both worlds.

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Hogwarts was quite busy. The group had made good use of the datapads and this meant more than one muggle born student realized muggle items worked on the grounds. Of course the said students were severely out of touch with the modern world so therefore hadn't realized quite how advanced the datapads were.

The mere presence of electronics in Hogwarts would spur the muggleborn and muggle raised to action and it would take time to find out which items worked and which were fried by the magic. Some seemed to be hardened against magical exposure and that would call into question why, which is something the wizarding world had often refused to ask.

Rebecca's presence and history class only served to exasperate the need for logic in the magical world. It was a popular class and as an immortal she knew how to draw attention to things she felt were important, usually that meant away from herself or her immortality.

As Apparition Lessons approached the ministry provided an instructor. Ginny and Luna had been given a special dispensation to attend with the others that were in sixth year, Harry was attending as well. Amelia thought it would be better and the teachers agreed to keep all the current 'trouble makers' with one group. The fact was that Amelia and the Hogwarts professors were sure Harry would be learning it on his own or with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger's assistance. So if he didn't learn it in class he'd still learn it and it wouldn't be first hand instructions, then he'd end up teaching it to the two girls and their learning wouldn't only second hand but third hand and that had to present some danger.

The first class was February first and for the group it was the 'last class', at least for Apparition. Wilkie Twycross had not been pleased; he was the instructor and had not really expected them to successfully Apparate the first attempt. They were meant to be moving about a five foot distance and he had never before had anyone succeed on the first try.

The fact that an entire group including three underage students had and then Apparated out of the room that was warded against it… Amelia was sure the man had a heart attack and only because he was a wizard of moderate health had he recovered without a need to see a healer.

Not for the first time has Amelia was utterly relieved that she'd lived that cursed day she'd been introduced to Xander, the day she'd almost died. The thought of dooming her niece to that group, the poor girl; Amelia was sure was almost as bad in some cases. Susan had never been that much of an over achiever; she had never tried above what she knew she could do, instead only doing what she knew she could and doing it well. Now however Susan was stretching limits and learning new things. It was Susan that had asked her for the three passes to learn Apparition for Ginny, Luna, and Harry.

Thinking on the current situation Amelia thought Susan didn't sound like she knew exactly how or that it was repeatable, Apparition in Hogwarts, but her letter and Wilkie had explained the situation clearly enough. The group had popped into a small storage room that was called the Room of Requirement and wasn't even supposed to form without proper procedure, although how the elves knew so much about it was also a question.

The headmaster had seen the Room of Requirement only once before and this particular room had loads of items needing to be seen to inside it. There were loads of restricted tomes, equipment, and last but not least, the Diadem of Ravenclaw. Albus had, over the floo, explained that he was sure the school, semi sentient, wished for the group of kids to find the room for whatever reason. The fact that the diadem was there might have been it. Wilkie was given credit for the discovery of the Diadem, as Susan and the others had not wanted it.

Albus was fairly perturbed at the fact that the walls Anti-Apparition Warding had failed to prevent the apparition; in fact he was fairly sure that they were no longer prevented from Apparating in or out of the school. Even Albus had to rely on Fawkes to leave quickly, or a portkey. Traveling thru stone by portkey was not a pleasant feeling when the stone was highly magical.

Susan hadn't known this because her letter had explained her excitement about testing the newly learned talent this weekend during the Hogsmeade weekend, no doubt Miss Granger's influence.

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In Sunnydale's Realm, the Watchers Council had heard of Glory's presence near the Hellmouth. It wasn't quite clear how they learned of it without any Watchers in the area.

Glory's arrival had been a follow-up on by the knights and monks. The monks had lost their ability to track the Key but they'd known it was previously in Sunnydale, as they'd sent it there, so it was a place to start. They'd spent several centuries trying to remove the Key before they found putting it into a person was a way to hide it for a while and Glory wouldn't be able to find it, hopefully.

The knights had known of the monks' ability to track it and had assumed, as they'd lost that ability, something that should never occur; their thoughts on it were that the Key must have come to an end.

With the Watchers arrival, Buffy and Kendra had to stay in the manor or risk the Council finding out and nobody trusted the Council, even the locals. Giles was of the mind to let the idiots speak their peace but he wasn't going to inquire on how they'd found out about Glory.

"It has come to our attention that Glorificus is the area and we thought it was prudent for the sake of humanity to make sure you are informed of…"

Giles may have been quietly ignoring them but Buffy wasn't. She had been upset as she was going to be going to the mall with Kendra and her twin sister, if anyone asked.

Buffy snaps, "We already know about Glory. She's after her Key which is safely out of her reach and we already have plans to deal with her that we're relatively sure will work."

Giles had to use the loo, to avoid public laughter at there expense, the expression on their faces when she said that? It was priceless.

Granted Buffy wasn't only being short with them because of her missing the mall. The mall had become a substitute to distract her from grabbing Riley and locking herself and him in her bedroom for the three days of sex. Sex had become a welcome release and now she wasn't getting any. She was sure Willow was right already, but she was just too stubborn to give in now that the week was almost over. The poor Watcher was going to take the brunt of her ire.

Travers blanches, "I see. Do you terribly mind if I inquire how it is that you plan to defect the Hell Goddess?"

Buffy blinks in surprise when she heard the title but passed it off for now, especially as Giles had chosen that moment to return to the room.

Buffy turns to her Watcher and whines, "Giles, could you make with explainy about Glory, please?"

Giles sighed with long suffering that wasn't entirely for show. "We have set up a number of runic traps. Half of them are to notify us if there is a being of immense power in the area and the other is to alert us if someone is fed upon. This is for vampires or for any other physical or psychic feeding. I believe that Glory has a habit of feeding on the minds of her victims which causes them mental instability. Once alerted we have the Sphere of Dagon and a runic enhancement to help weaken her. We also are in contact with Angel." He almost spat the name. "When the time is right he will arrive and while Glory is weakened he'll drain her completely, ending her existence."

The Watcher pales at that. "Are you sure it's safe for the vampire? I mean it isn't going to…" he didn't quite know how to say it.

"No, it should be fine. It'll make him drunk as a skunk for a few days after he regains consciousness but his soul has already been anchored and that was the only worry."

Travers nods numbly. "I'll leave what we have with you but I do believe your plan, provided it's executed properly, is sound."

After the man left, Giles burst out into laughter. Buffy smiles at her Watcher his laughing was a good sigh, right? "What is it?"

"The bloody pillock had come hoping to have some extra influence on our group. Without a slayer to pander after, they are likely feeling utterly useless."

Buffy's smiled widens.

Giles laughs harder. "He's going back with his tail between his legs and no doubt he'd thought this was a perfect opportunity to prove their worth to you. I must say it is refreshing to be able to send them on their way. I will look over what they gave us and find out why my other self did not share the fact that she was a goddess."

"Is that really going to matter?"

He shrugs, "It depends. The fact that she's a goddess and they killed one isn't what worries me. There are levels of understanding of the universe. I am unsure if her level of understanding is going to affect the plan."

"Huh?"

"They may have killed an aspect of her and this aspect may know how they did it which would likely prevent her from 'falling' for the distraction again. The plan requires some element of surprise."

"Oh, that makes sense but how could she… the goddess thing then?"

He nodded grimly but the fact was that very little was known of gods and goddesses as their level of existence normally precluded the interaction that would give those facts readily.

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Regardless of the intent, Xander had made a very large impression to Stargate Command. The impression bled over to Allen and Harriet's treatment. The fact that they'd also contributed left Hammond and O'Neill feeling as though it was a good thing. Unlike Xander H's home, Xander L felt that he could go there if he wanted and involve himself too much when it came to day to day activity. If he went to Sunnydale he'd feel as though he was barging into Xander's territory. It was that he was already so involved with Grayson that didn't want to risk obtaining more work. He was after all a lazy teen. He was still in many ways growing up and that meant, despite the confidence the aspect of demon gave him, he felt inadequate at times. In fact it was almost as though because of the aspect he felt inadequate; it was as though at times he was cheating. The runes my have restricted this or taught his conscious mind to control it but his subconscious was still as active as ever and Xander had always listed to his heart, mostly.

He didn't miss the differences that he and Harris had between them. Some of that he was sure was because of Cordy, Dawn, Willow, and Kendra's constant sex, however he wasn't embarrassed nearly as easily and then there's the fact that Harris was just barely starting, almost reluctantly, to use runes. It was almost as though the older version of himself didn't want to use them – it was neat to think about but wasn't to actually use. He also didn't miss the fact that Xander H started to get a bit saggy around the middle and shivered. It was May 25 on Grayson, a Sunday, so he was taking a day off and decided to go talk to Xander Harris.

He went thru the door and made his way to the other Xander's apartment, it wasn't exactly far but he did think about getting a bike or car to park at the RV Park in case it was ever an emergency.

"Xander?" the surprise on Xander H's face was a funny thing.

"Hey, you busy today?"

"Nope, the job was finished on Sunday. I spent the last two days finishing up the paperwork. Today and tomorrow I'm off and I might even be off until next Monday. Why what's up?"

"I wanted to ask you about what's gone on the last…" he ticked off his fingers, "four years and some change?"

Xander almost reluctantly sighed but gave him a nod and non verbal invitation, "You want some coffee or tea or something?"

"Soda if you have it."

He nods and grabs a Pepsi for his double. "Well to start, you know Angel lost his soul?"

Xander L nods.

"Well when he lost his soul I was of the mind, see vampire kill vampire." He smirked and LeVelle nods that made perfect sense.

Harris winces. "Yea well the group didn't agree and that started the chasm. I think Buffy let him go more than once because she wasn't ready and I can understand not wanting to kill the undead Boytoy, but she didn't knock him out or anything like that she just let him go. It really hit home that she didn't really care, not in my opinion at that time. I realize now it was just that she couldn't see what I was seeing. Anyway near the end of the school year when the apocalypse situation came up it was Angelus that was the cause, he wanted to suck the world into hell and finally she was ready and willing to do the deed."

Xander raised an eyebrow and the other Xander grimaces. "Anyway Willow found the curse that Janna was trying to translate or something and got this oh so wonderful idea to rip his soul out of the afterlife and shove it back into the corpse. She tried it once and Buffy had made the decision to leave us to it and try and play distracto girl."

"Trap huh, one of the obvious ones like the master's bone?"

Xander Harris makes a face at the way that was so obvious to him and he knew that this analogue of his hadn't lived it.

"Yea," he nods, "and Willow ended up in a coma. She woke up just in time to try the rather dark spell again."

LeVelle flinches, "She did it then?"

He nods. "I lied to Buffy though. I told her she said to kick his ass. She ended up sending the soul trapped in the body of the vampire to hell for a couple of centuries."

"Ouch, they found out?"

"I think they knew almost right away. Buffy would have known over the summer when she finally got her head on straight. She didn't say anything about it but the group seemed to push me out more and more after that. Faith came, Kendra's replacement as the slayer, and I think they pushed her a bit too hard. They didn't want her part of the group, even worse than me. I ended up having sex with her at the worst possible time and she ended up killing a man by accident."

He went on to tell him all the nasty things that had occurred to the group and both his part in it as well as theirs. Xander understood now, this older version had given up a bit on his friends. It might not have been given up so much as given in.

"That's why you're reluctant to use runes, or trying to utilize the soldier memories at all?"

Harris recoils a bit, "I don't know… it's just, with the Panther I've got enough and…"

Xander L nods, "I just wanted to understand. You do know there are a load of things you can do with runes that have nothing to do with slaying right?"

Xander H sighs nodding at his double, "Anya has been after me to read the books Giles gave me about runes. I've been putting it off."

"Just don't put it off too much. I know that if I seen something that could have helped the week before and I hadn't been able to use it because I had been procrastinating, I'd feel about a…" he used his fingers and thumb to show approximately an inch measurement.

Harris gives a noisy exhale but nods, "Yea, yea. I know and that's the only reason I'm actually studying them at all."

Xander LeVelle nods understanding, "I better go, keep in touch Xander!"

He got up and left his elder analogue to think alone, knowing that it was needed.

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One of the runes that Xander Harris learns shortly after his talk with LeVelle was added to his collar so as to enable him to see anything _posing as life_. It was meant to let him see vampires or things that were dead like zombies, he thought it might also worked with some demons. He knew Brachen didn't show up or some of the other species of demon but so far a few demons had shown up that surprised him. He had talked with Anya about the thoughts of Brachen being magical or demonic because of the collar runes he'd added. He supposed that demonic didn't mean that they were not alive nor did it mean they were up to no good.

This rune set was a good measure to investigate using other senses and just what the doctor ordered after his talk with his younger analogue. The need to be on the forefront of the fighting had ebbed before but now it was back with vengeance and he knew he needed to be more active on the slaying front. This was the reason he was here with Anya at the Bronze, the only night club in Sunnydale.

Looking for a vampire, Xander Harris spotted someone posing as human enter but they didn't read as vampire, he could see the reflection for one. She was wearing a short, fluffy pink flowered dress that seemed to be extremely tight on her rather shapely body. She has long straight dark hair and a perpetual smile.

With a reflection he knew she wasn't a vampire. He still wasn't going to just let her go and he wondered why she smelt like plastic and silly putty of all things. Listening to the echo of her voice and watching her lips move he could make out what she was saying to a guy on bench out front of the Bronze, "Do you know Warren? I need to find him."

With the collars usually Xander could pick up on the voice's emotion. The voice he heard now sounded very cheery but had that un-emotional quality that usually sounded flat. The contradiction gave Xander H the shivers. It wasn't even that really it was that she asked the same question again as though it was exactly the same moment in time but with different people.

Tara shows up at the entryway, where Xander was now. The flat perky non living girl had asked her the same thing before she'd gotten to the doorway.

Seeing Xander and Anya, Tara had approached them with a smile. Xander blinks in surprise. He'd been searching for emotions in the Vulcan like non human when he turned his attention to Tara. He briefly made a mental note to never again do that invasion of privacy with Tara, or Willow. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination or after effects from the Cheese Guy dream but he wasn't about to bring up the subject of sex with lesbians, especially with Anya right there to think he's straying.

"Hello Xander" her voice sounded extra fluffy.

"Hey, that girl that asked you where Warren was…" he gestures.

She frowns, glancing back, "Yea?"

Anya frown's a bit that he's looking at another girl, not that he's looking but that she didn't notice his straying attention.

"She's not human" he said. "And she has a very unemotional voice, it's all acting."

Tara widens her eyes, glances at her again, and widens her eyes even wider.

"She doesn't have an aura, she's…"

"What?" Anya said suddenly not worried about the straying.

"She's mechanical." She was shocked at the word.

"How?" asked Xander.

Tara blushes furiously at both his attention and his awe clearly showing in his eyes. Xander was such a sweetie and that confirmed that she was right to decide to co-opt Anya tonight into accepting Willow and then convincing her lover.

"It's a sight spell, and the spell to see energy sources. It's one that is simple, I was using it to try and see if there was anything outside the Manor that…" she shrugged not wanting to stutter but his look was making her nervous.

He nods and tells her, "I'm going to follow her, could you two get Buffy, or the Buffys, if she's some kind of machine there's no telling how strong or fast she is, and…" he paused. "Have her bring one of the anti-electronic boxes."

Tara blinked and smiled before she nods. "We will."

She grabbed Anya's hand and started to pull her towards the door that was opposite of the one April just exited.

"Anya…" Tara was suddenly nervous.

Seeing the nervous lesbian that was pulling her arm rather hard she scrunched of her nose at the nervousness and offered a, "Yea?"

"What would you think about me and Willow joining you and Xander?"

Adorably confused Anya asks, "Joining?"

Tara gave her a smoldering look, this was hard enough without Anya making it harder, pun intended. Talking about it was making her nipples very hard and she was already going to have to change her panties.

"Sex" she said bluntly, "and as a relationship."

Anya looks shocked and her voice breaks, "Really?"

Tara smirked at her. "I thought so" the smirk widens. "You've been having a large amount of Unresolved Sexual Tension with Willow, if there was ever a man that I would… be that way with, it would be Xander and I'll never give up Willow," she told her bluntly. "I'm not in love with you or Xander but I could see us working towards a…" she paused. "Just think about it, I haven't talked to Willow about it and if you are interested in it I think we should do that together and make sure she's on board when we confront Xander."

"Confront him?" Anya asked with no small amount of humor. "You think he's going to resist that idea?"

Tara smiles sadly at her. "He loves you! He loves us all, I th… think. B—But he learned the hard way th… that some loves need to t…take… pre… precedence over others. If we confront him with it t… together he… will… he will know it isn't a…" she blushes prettily, "fleeting orgy."

Anya suddenly looked unsure. "Are you sure it isn't? I mean sex with Xander is rather good! This isn't just to get him out of your system?"

Tara shook her head; they were almost at the RV Park that housed the door to the Manor.

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Xander follows the girl looking droid that was trying to find Warren. She leaves and heads towards the collage. It was twenty minutes of walking. She was going slowly, when he felt the intrusion of a voice in his head.

'_**Xander, where are you?' **_it was Buffy's voice, the younger one that belonged to Angel, he wasn't sure why he could tell the difference when they spoke in his head but he could, easily.

He couldn't respond as he didn't have the damned trump but he could send both Tara and Anya a message and sent to them where he was.

He smiled when Anya sent him back a message, _**'Yes I am with Buffy, both of them, why didn't you send them the message?'**_

'_**I don't have my trumps and I wasn't sure Tara was returning with you.'**_

'_**Oh, you can send her a message too without the card… can you send one to Willow or our Buffy?'**_

'_**Willow, yes, Buffy I need a few moments to concentrate on her and focus which I'm not doing right now if I'm following the droid who looks like she's going to some kind of party…'**_ he tells her what frat house its in and slowly approaches.

They were there soon after that, rushing to avoid blood shed.

The droid was approaching a Warren, a friend of Jonathan Levisohn's, and his girlfriend Katrina, from Dutton, if he's eavesdropped on the conversation correctly.

Fortunately Warren twigged to the stalking non-human and took his girlfriend before fleeing. Just as the droid was leaving Buffy arrives with the other Buffy, Tara, and Anya.

Buffy hands Xander a box, "Here's the box!"

Xander smiles, "I think I found out where Warren is."

He'd said this loudly enough to carry. The droid suddenly froze, turned, and started to approach. He smiled and snapped open the box for all of five seconds. The entire street, the party, and the droid went dead.

Xander smiled. "Let's get her looked at. Warren and his girl just left. I think we need to investigate why he has droids after him."

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The box fried April's software but there was a back up that was hardwired for her to connect to online. The Manor's Willow found it completely fascinating. She hacked the program and dismantled it; it wasn't sentient and was subservient to Warren Mears.

She was reprogramming it starting with a foundation in Asimov Protocols to protect human life, though she added quite a few subroutines that would give her the mindset to judge human life, some of that was based on innocence but other parts were based on intent and only the numbers if absolutely needed. She also programmed it to feel grief if she hurt a human life even a bad one. She would remember it and relive it attempting to analyze it to every computation. The local Willow pulled out all their stuff from Ted the evil robot and Willow utilized some of the spare parts in the programming to make her a bit more personable. She would never be sentient with the ability to be self aware but she could be a good droid, a tool to utilize to save lives, and she was vacuum proof.

It was a surprise to the house hold and she seemed to fit right in, though Willow did isolate the sexual desire subroutines, for now. She didn't want the added sex toy, ready and willing, to the mix.

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Tara was pacing nervously. "What has you so wound up, sweetie?" Willow asks.

"Um," she stutters, the term wound up was an understatement and sweetie, what she always thought of Xander as, only added to it. "Just five more minutes?" she muttered just loud enough.

Willow was amused, she felt something was amiss but she could tell Tara was about ready to pop and wasn't jumping her bones, so she was looking foreword to whatever it was and five more minutes of watching her pace as she built up more and more was… fun.

"Five more minutes then, are you going to go back to pacing, dear?"

Tara gave her a weathered look and Willow grinned widely.

Reaching over Willow put her hand on Tara's crotch and rubbed sexually pleasuring her partner. This foreplay had Tara all but melt as she grabbed Willow's hand and held it tightly as she rotated her hips and groaned as she had an orgasm right then and there, fully clothed. Willow blinked in surprise and smiled sexually at the shy blond.

Tara was completely relaxed now, "Thank you, Willow!"

It was five minutes later, making out the entire time in post orgasmic bliss (for Tara at least) that Anya showed up at their dorm room.

"Anya" Tara said and bit her lip.

"I'm here, now we can talk about sex."

Willow widened her eyes as she realized Anya was being serious.

"Yes" Tara said pulling her into the room and shutting the door. Suddenly Willow was very nervous as the two girls turned to her.

"Relax Willow," Anya said with cheer. "You look like you're never going to have orgasms again and if this works out than you'll have plenty."

Willow's voice cracks, "What?"

Tara groans at Anya, and Anya shrugs saying, "If you tiptoe around it then you'll never get there. It's like when Xander insists on licking the sides and not the top, it drives me up the wall."

Tara suddenly shivers with need and turns to Willow. "We want to have a united front to join with Xander like Xander from the Manor. The only guy I could ever think to let t… touch me is Xander…" Tara bit her lower lip, "I could see either but I don't think Xander LeVelle needs any more… more girls."

Willow was white faced. "You don't… you don't want to see me anymore?"

"Sweetie," Tara said, "you talk in your sleep." She blushes pleased to be sharing this finally. "You call out his name instead of mine when you… when I explore you while you are dreaming."

Willow found her was her turn to bite her lip and it wasn't just sexually driven but also worried.

Anya looks at Willow. "You do that? Xander does that too, and half the time he's asleep too. He doesn't talk in his sleep though; he only moans so…" she frowns. "I don't know if he is moaning for me or some sleep girl!" she was complaining now.

"So what do you think?" Tara asked her redheaded lover.

"Are you sure?" Willow asked. "I don't want to hurt him."

Tara nods. "You may not realize it, but I… I always called Xander a… a sweetie."

Tara smirks as Willow widened her eyes in sudden understanding.

Anya grins knowing the expression Willow was wearing was a demand for orgasms and she'd not care if a witness was there or not. "I'm going to go because we haven't talked to Xander yet and it would be wrong for me to have orgasms without him… right now."

She fled posthaste as the two girls started to make out and strip off clothing.

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	7. SGC and Earth's Defense Command

The Scooby Gang

Book III: Settling Inn

Disclaimer: I have no property rights to any published or copyrighted material that is reserved to those that make money from ideas which I do not.

Summery: The third book on the now dimensionally stranded Scoobies. With the manor stuck in Yellow Space they utilize the doors to have a life outside the manor as the group grows closer to finding their personal place in multiverse..

Sequel to '_The Scooby Gang Book 1'_ and _'The Scooby Gang Book 2'_

Warning: Multi Ship M/FFF ahead!

Crossovers: Harry Potter, Stargate, Honor Harrington, and Highlander

CHAPTER 7: SGC and Earth's Defense Command

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It was the fifteenth of April at Hogwarts, a Tuesday, and there wasn't much to do. Sixth year students, minus the group, were testing for their Apparition license. The group had already had their short 'first and last' class. They'd simply tested the group individually and their control was astounding.

It was ironic that Harry and Ginny didn't need the three D's to Apparate. The fact was that the mediations and feeling for their magic that they'd done at LeVelle Manor over the summer when exploring the differences in wand magic verses the nature of magic had made it easy to Apparate. Even Susan, who had only just started the last two weeks of summer, was able to utilize meditation methods automatically to Apparate.

With Apparition, Animagus, as well as all the class work done for the next week, they were utterly bored. They'd already added the Hogwarts library, including with Dumbledore's permission, the restricted section, to their pads. They actually shared what they'd scanned as data so it wasn't that arduous of a task.

It was Hermione who voiced her fruition first, "I'm bored!"

They'd recently included a number of muggle subjects of study but the information from Manticore, Grayson, and Egeria's data banks had made much of the 'current' muggle science obsolete. It was interesting in and of itself but with the risk of burning out on studying they'd set a schedule and Hermione had learned from her third year not to overdo it.

Ron and Harry had a game of chess that was ongoing. Ron implemented a new rule that they couldn't move for five minutes after the opponent's play was done. It was a way to stretch out their games and the guys to snog their girls between plays and it also made Harry think instead of react to the last play without thinking. The other side of that was the military application for space battles; it was a game of wait and see.

Harry looks up, "What would you suggest?"

Aside from the chess game, he was reading his pad which he held suspended in the air. It was currently about wormhole physics taken from stargate information and comparing it to Beowulf's information concerning hyper physics and the Manticore Juncture mathematic theories. With the ability to search for definitions or explanation of concepts he was flying thru the information easily and it was easy to research different topics.

"I was thinking that we could hit the manor…" she was biting her lip.

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It seemed that there was always someone at LeVelle Manor. The Doyles, minus Nancy, were always off at either San Vale Near Blasedale or the SGC, while Nancy spent quite a bit of time either in her room with Sirius and Aura or in London with Sirius and Aura.

Michael and Amy were now mostly dealing with Blasedale while Frank and Janet handled San Vale. The Doyles in San Vale had hired a staff to help care for the Estate. It was a smaller staff for the Blasedale estate because Dobby spent more time there than at the San Vale. Dobby had spent a bit of extra time at all the locations the Doorways led to even if his bailiwick was the Manor.

It seemed that the two RVs, areas of the SGC, and _The Joyce_ were all regularly cleaned of dust, grim, or smudges, to a less extent Orbital Four and Xander's apartment on Grayson were also cleaned. Dobby understood the heavy metals in the air on Grayson could cause harm. He was thrilled with all the work and getting paid. Dobby noticed he was getting very strong with magic and had thought perhaps he'd bonded unknowingly with someone or multiple someones but couldn't tell who, the only clue was his strength growing which only occurs when a bonding is fulfilled.

Giles spends most of his time in the quite of the Manor or on _The Joyce_. He and Janna were together much of the time but there were things they'd done without their partner. He was the main pilot for _The Joyce_ and had daily maintenance checks he did which included communication checks with Orbital Four's Communication Center.

Janna was often one of Eric's teachers when she wasn't with Giles. It was ironic to both her and Giles that he felt more comfortable operating the ship than he did trying to teach Eric about the history of magic. He had confessed to her that being the pilot was somewhat a dream come true, he'd always wanted to be a grocer or a fighter pilot growing up. Granted he had never thought to be a space ship pilot but he enjoyed it when the occasion called for.

Angel found the piece of the manor settling and spent days painting, drawing, and enjoying Buffy's company. Joyce had been quite takenaback at his ability with art and promised to attempt to sell some of it in her studio.

Joyce and Dawnie, the younger Key from Sunnydale, were mostly at the Manor. Dawnie had taken to flying on Buckbeak to enjoy the time but she was also grooming him daily.

Joyce had agreed Dawn and Dawnie needed to avoid Sunnydale until the Glory thing was taken care of and that meant no school. That didn't mean Joyce allowed her daughter free time, she'd found it fun to ensure the two youngest people there was thoroughly inundated with school like work.

Realizing that Dawnie wasn't likely to stay in Sunnydale afterwards and she really didn't mind that, Joyce had limited the 'History' section of the education. Dawnie however found that she was mostly an auditory learner (at least she claimed to be) which meant that Joyce spent quite a bit of time reading or listening to Dawnie read aloud.

This meant that Dawnie, Angel, Egeria, Cordelia, and Janna hardly if ever left walking distance of one of the doorways. Giles, Joyce, and Dawn would leave for specific reasons while Willow spent quite a bit of time either in Sunnydale or Blasedale to use the computer internet there or working with Frank to push out software programs. It wasn't uncommon to see her leave for hour increments two or three times a day but she spend quite a bit of time with Cordelia. Kendra and Buffy spent many evenings patrolling for vampires but otherwise stayed at LeVelle Manor.

Needless to say that it was large enough to house everyone comfortably but it gave a wide variety of people the kids from Hogwarts could visit with or entertainment they could make use of which stymied the boredom quite nicely. Besides it was the one place they didn't have to worry about transforming, though Luna still didn't use her form at the Manor for fear of getting lost in the instinct and flying outside the wards.

When the kids showed up this time they separated right away to find their perspective people to visit, for Ron as always Egeria seemed to be first on that list. Hermione liked to visit either Giles or Willow but would settle for Dawn if the others were busy. Harry ended up this time with Ron and Egeria because he was interested in some of the shielding techniques she was working thru models for.

"What's this?" Ron asked as he and Harry entered the room, there was a hologram of _The Joyce_ and Egeria looked frustrated.

Egeria sighs with relief at the break offered by their arrival, "I'm trying to interlace the Goa'uld shield generator with _The Joyce's_ wedge. The Warshawski Sails aren't anything like anything in my old universe and it seems that…"

With a sigh she explains, "It's not just the sails; the nodes produce a…" she pause thinking of the right words in English, "A bending of normal space that creates a vacuum of reality or a gravimetric sinkhole, that's my best understanding of it. This vacuum has the side effect of creating gravity so strong that nothing can really get passed it except gravity. I think that's best way to explain it. The gravity bands above and below the ship make it like a rip in space. That's why the ship is a bit longer. Of course the stronger the node the more danger there is of it being ripped out of the ship. I mean if you made one super strong and had the power to use it, using it could cause problems not to mention that the way they do inertia compensators sumps basically bleeds off the energy that the motion causes."

Ron knew she was smart but he really didn't understand half of that.

Harry asks her for clarification, "So moving is a two directional processes for the most part, at least with any momentum?"

She nods. "You can turn the ship but the direction you were pushed unless you power-up at the new direction you'll still be going the old one. It's why the turnover for a ship is so important. The ships from my universe utilized a forced field that stilled the outside influence on the ship, anchoring it to a great degree; it was why an explosion against a still ship didn't budge it. The artificial gravity we had was much more advanced as well. It seems they utilize the methods of bending reality by producing gravity quite often here. Then again their first forays into space dealt with gravity manipulation rather than pursuing other, safer, ways of travel. Not that they didn't find ways to make this safer but still, there are loads of gravity anomalies that I have no idea if they were in my old universe or not because most of the races would unknowingly ignore them…"

Harry nods, "Can't do that here! Is that what they do to enter hyperspace?" Harry asked. "I've been reading about their hyperspace theory and the Manticore Junction's multi-way termini as well as the hyperspace theory you translated on the pads."

She blushes. "I haven't looked at them." She admits sheepishly, "Dawn translated everything on there into English or gave the pads the key words, her and Janna worked very hard to make sure everything could be put into English."

Harry grins teasingly and nods. "I noticed that you speak now like you were born to it."

Ron grins when she blushes again.

Egeria smacks Harry's shoulder and sniffs, "Anyway. The issue is that when I put the shield up the movement stops, Ra's ships didn't do that because their source of propulsion was within the shields and even if I expand the shields which takes a lot of energy to do that and they still stop!" She growled in frustration.

Harry offers, "Because the gravity pulling you forward or pulling you back is being countered by the shields, as gravity is being pulled from both sides, pulling up or down the wedge and there solidifying at their place inside the shields."

She looks at him shocked.

He shrugs, "I think of it as a Protego and small time spell like a jelly legs curse. The Protego bounces the spells off but solid things can get thru. The gravity or gravimetric energy is like the Jelly legs and against your shield. Can you make a half shield… I mean an aft shield? I know the up the kilt shots from behind are the most dangerous, that and the down the throat shots off the bow."

She smiles and sighs. "I was trying to make a full shield but I suppose you are right. Smaller shield generators that protect a part of the ship would still have the rest of the ship's mass to help their speed."

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The SGC had recently had quite a number of changes. Allen and Harriet had helped where they could sense their arrival. It was obvious that they weren't scientists but at the same time they weren't stupid either. They thought outside the box and sometimes had the most straightforward understandings or point of views.

Harriet shrugs; the recent topic was a Jaffa female that was able to communicate with her Primta, "I'm not saying Shan'auc's not communicating with her Primta. By what we've learned from both Teal'c and Egeria back at the Manor the Primta will gain a large amount of information from their Jaffa. What I am saying is that it's likely he's lying to Shan'auc."

That made eerie sense to the general and he opened the table to his flag team and two guests, "Options people?"

Harriet and Allen had sat in on more and more briefings, especially with SG1. They had been asked to be included and General Hammond liked the idea of having them there as assets and advisers. They also added one or two scientists as advisers as well.

Daniel asks, "Well instead of trusting a host who would be willing to be with a Tok'ra, why don't we ask the Asguard to clone a human?"

Hammond winces at the red tape that could cause, "That is an idea, and I gather that this would not… unsettle the treaty."

Allen slyly offers, "You could also ask them to install a few safety measures."

General Hammond asks, "What do you mean?"

"Well the Tok'ra may wish to monitor his… progress…" Allen had a sly devious expression, "If they happen to be monitoring him when he messes up then they can either destroy him remotely, within reason, or confront him. I guess if it wasn't too much they could feed misinformation to him but I'm not sure how effective that would be."

Jack nods, "It can be damn near devastating, either handled properly or screwed up."

"The question is if we can play middle man for the Tok'ra and the Asguard. I mean they have always had a shortage of hosts and a symbiote might even help to eliminate any genetic drift if that was an issue, which it wouldn't be this early on."

"They've already started to correct the issues. I'll contact Thor and Jacob-Selmac." George Hammond said and nodded. "It's the best we can do and I really don't want to take the chance until the symbiote in question has shown us some bona fides."

It had worked and within two days they'd terminated the Goa'uld when it had attempted to kill Shan'auc. Shan'auc no longer needed a Primta, courtesy of Loki, who was the person Thor sent to help them. How the Goa'uld had been killed and the information they'd been able to retrieve was not given over to the SGC, only that they'd terminated him while he had attempted murder of Shan'auc.

The next contact with the Tok'ra was a 'scientist' and her damned arm bands of strength and speed. Harriet had been pissed. She had mentally started to refer to them as the symbiotes instead of Tok'ra. Ra was dead and she figured they could chose another name if they didn't want to be called Goa'uld. A name that wasn't quite so meaningless. The current reason she was pissed as all hell was because they'd subjected the flag team to experimentation. Experiments were not done to allies and if they volunteered they were not the flag team.

"Janet" Harriet entered the hospital area. "Could you do me a favor?" Janet gives her a look and Harriet says, "I'd really like it if you didn't share the details on our Beowulf medical information with the Goa'uld scientists?"

Janet Frasier frowns at her, "Why not? I know you don't have anything against the Goa'uld as a species and I must admit that the choice of individuals is lacking in anything…"

"It isn't that they are Goa'uld, it's that they lied to us. Anise had more information about the arm bands than she let on. We know its viral because of the hand held scanner you have but she knew that beforehand. She skirted the issues and even after they were on and not removable she still dragged her feet. That isn't a mark of a person trying to understand it's a mark of a greedy bitch trying to one up on everyone else."

Janet winces as she knew a number of people like that. She gives Harriet a nod, "I won't share anything about it. I'll report that much to General Hammond to make sure nobody else in the know shares it."

If the single incident of 'misinformation' had been it, it wouldn't have mattered much but it wasn't. The Tok'ra suddenly showed up with a must do mission of destruction that only superman could pull off.

"Wait" Allen drew their attention. "Why don't we use that serum the doc conjured up, and knock the Jaffa out." He glanced at Teal'c. "After we do that we utilize mêlée weaponry. They are currently moving faster than a freaking bullet and there really is no reason to actually destroy the thing. I know you don't want them to participate for medical reasons but this is a viable threat and if you sent enough people thru following them, it should prevent them being at anymore risk then they would normally be in."

"I see, and the Goa'uld?"

"That's what the Mêlée weapons are for, a sword to the neck cuts off the head and the Symbiote is killed as well."

Jack winced and nodded his memory from Kowalski coming up. "We can do this sir and quite frankly the influence of the arm bands might lesson if we have some sort of goal to distract us with."

George sighs. "I guess we'll make use of the Asguard's offer of cryogenic assistance."

With the three supers leading the charge it had a zero casualty rating on their side. Most of the soldiers were basically clean up. They only had to get in and then they could simply take it whole. The Tok'ra had not found it amusing that they'd basically been out maneuvered but were thankful that the target had been deprived of the super Ha'tak.

An item that had their first use on the enemy was a belly plait, to prevent any Primta from attempting to vacate the body of the sleeping Jaffa.

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"I have spoken with the Joint Chiefs and the President, the issue has been settled. The majority of the SGC will be reallocated to the EDC, Earth Defense Command. The SGC will be operating under the theater of the EDC for which is going to be based out of the mother ship we have appropriated."

It had been four days ago that Xander had delivered a doorway for Ritchey Ryan to set up off base, the immortal had found he enjoyed not having to worry about other immortals. This freed the Doyles up to placing the doorway anywhere they wished and they were going to have their pick of suites on ship.

This was the first meeting of the EDC and simple confirmation of what had already been decided. Mostly it was to keep observation on how things and people were adjusting.

"The logistics of leaving a few people in the complex was…" Jack almost glared at the general, "a nightmare."

Hammond laughs, he felt a bit freer here on the ship for some reason. "There is a reason we want them there, we still need a place to officially have our men for those that wish to be nosy."

"Yea and the NID idiots can kiss my…"

"Jack" General Hammond had a smile of warning on his face.

"Yes Sir."

Allen spoke up, "At least now you don't have to worry about any issues affecting the people of Colorado. I mean it wouldn't take but a constant focus and testing to find methods of overcoming the solid material that makes up the iris. Even molecularly thin the temperature would still be…" he shrugs. "I'm sure the only reason we haven't gotten visitors is the treaty and their infighting."

It was obvious he was talking about the Goa'uld, "If they still had Ra I bet you they would have been more focused on overcoming that obstacle. Now all you have to do is vent it and then pick it up after the fact. Hell you could put a net around it to catch them if they sent any type of crafts thru."

Hammond winced. He really would like to have known that during his debriefing, it would have required a less, imaginative approaches.

"Plus now" Harriet offered with a smile. "You'll save millions on the electric bill."

Hammond winced again. Cost was the mainstream excuse that he used as a tipping point but he and everyone there knew it was just an excuse even if it was the truth.

"How is medical bay up and running, Janet?"

She grins widely. "Some of the equipment is beyond what we had but mostly everything from the SGC Complex is up here and installed including a number of isolation chambers. We set them up between the Medical and the Embarkation bays. It should be fairly easy to remodel a bit to prevent anyone from entering the ship proper without going thru the isolation quarantine. Harriet gave me a few ideas on a full body X-ray and magnetic renascence scanner which will show any Goa'uld on a simple glance. We're already starting the process we'll need to do it. It will also let us see any hidden tech so the NID won't be able to sneak things past if there are any more… people on the SGC teams."

It was obvious that the NID are persona non gratin for the good doctor, more so than the rest of the group.

"Good" Jack said firmly before asking the doc, "Any chance of setting it up to recognize people by skeleton patterns, previous breaks and such?"

"Yes, a slim chance within six months, I'd say seven or eight months out for sure."

"Good ideas people. Jack, have you been monitoring the bridge and training simulations we've been doing?"

Jack gave him a face, "I have and they, quite frankly, suck big time!"

He shook his head clearing away his negative emotion. "Not the drills, the men. We haven't learned the systems well enough to navigate them fluidly. Teal'c has been training quite a few people. Bra'tac is going to be here in four days to assist and has offered to help supplement some of the crew until we can get on our feet."

George smiled and glances at Teal'c. "I take it he is aware of the last missions details?"

"Indeed, he was quite thrilled to learn of the method of neutralizing the Jaffa without dishonoring them or killing them. He is of the mind that after the Goa'uld have been dealt with the Jaffa will become a stronger race as a whole."

George indicates agreement. "The idea that they are being used has never sat well with me. I understand the… chains of loyalty and the honor of a soldier. I hope they understand it too when they wake up but that will be for another time."

Harriet felt a bit uncomfortable talking about the Jaffa loyalties, "What about the single person crafts, have they removed those… recall devices?"

"Good question, no we've only deactivated them. We'll be removing them soon, as of now they simply aren't a priority. How are the men handling them?"

Jack smiled widely. "I think most of them are in love sir." He was smirking now making Hammond groan almost silently. Jack continued as though he either didn't hear him groan or perhaps used it as motivation, "Space flight lacks a bit of the strain of sudden changes and the designs of the Gliders have an advantage on that too. I would say most of the SG Teams would be happily willing to take a glider on each outing. In fact a few of the civilian scientists have insisted on flying them as well, and they are sometimes even better then the pilots."

Harriet giggles at the scientist adviser; Bill Lee was the one doing it this month. Every month it was going to be a different adviser until they found one that was just too good to send back to the fish bowl.

Bill Lee looked rather guilty and sheepish at Jack's words. "Most of the men are at least familiar enough with video games to know the basics, but it isn't like they could fly around on Earth. One mistake there and they end up crashing into the ground. They are getting far enough away from Earth and the ship to… um play."

Jack nods still grinning. "I recommend it as a training exercise. Nobody with us should be ignorant of how to do the basics just in case and honestly, learning it is a great way to get them to have a feel for the technology."

With a grin, Allen offers, "I wouldn't mind taking one of them for a spin."

Hammond groans. "I suppose I might be talked into it as well, it wouldn't be good to fall down on the job of leading the men, and leading by example." He was trying hard not smirk at Jack's shocked expression.

"That aside I'd like to have a major put in charge of the gliders, handling the maintenance and setting up whatever exercises Teal'c and Bra'tac can recommend. I would like to have a ready space force should the worst happen, but even if its' just a meteor, or asteroid, I'd like to have a few squads prepared at least. Familiarity is one thing but why don't we see if we can find a more permanent solution."

"Yes sir." Jack nodded; he saw the sense in it.

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It had been three weeks on the EDC ship before both Sam and Jack had fallen ill. If they'd been on Earth it would have been passed over as a cold and they would have likely treated it as such. Here however, they'd upgraded the medical scanners that they'd had the designs for. Janet was itchy to use the new devices that told her so much more than she had ever dream of. The virus that she'd marked in the scanners from the Arm Bands Anise had used on them had been triggered; they were active again in both Sam and Jack. Daniel seemed to have developed some kind of immunity to it and that was good but it was still there as part of his system.

"I don't know why it has reactivated but it has, at least they aren't getting the boost they'd gotten before and their cognitive reasoning isn't being affected at all."

Harriet smirks, "So they don't get bored easily, or any more easily than they would normally?"

Janet grins. "Jack tells me if they didn't get the mission he'd have likely snuck out and went for a night on the town, UA or not. That isn't just bored more than usual. Anyway I've been monitoring their brainwaves to see if there was a similarity to the scans I took when they were under the influence and there is very minor significance. My guess is that something in Jack and Sam's bodies are… a resistance to the virus that is trying to eliminate it and Daniel doesn't so it just leaves well enough alone."

George was concerned, with reluctance he asks, "What is going to happen now?"

"There is a subtle stress that is prematurely aging them. It's a slow thing but it will make them more susceptible to age related ailments. The scans show that they are aging at almost double the rate they should be. It's almost as though their bodies are attempting to mature enough to handle the changes, like a child got a hold of the virus and it was aging them to maturity to be able to utilize the benefits. That isn't the case with adults but it's very similar. The stress on their bodies though it going to exasperate other issues. It isn't quite the reverse of the reverse effect of the Dargol Pesticide from Vias."

Harriet asks her, "What is the Dargol Pesticide?"

Janet sighs and explains to the advisers the longevity effects as well as the infertility results from the use of Dargol, adding the build up of blockage in the temporal lobes and hippocampus. She's quite surprised by the idea.

"You didn't start the process to break down what caused the massive de-aging it was and this Lynnea, the destroyer of worlds…"

"Yes, we didn't peruse the Dargol" Hammond said frowning. "I'm not sure how well it would have worked but it was decided too much of a risk."

"If you would get a sample I'm sure we can have it run thru the chemical analyzer of Dawn's and find out. I'd like to know if it was the pesticide or something else and Sir…?" She pauses trying to sound respectful. "Think of all the old folk's homes that they don't have the physical ability to even think of having children. I'm fairly sure that we could correct or help correct the infertility as that was one of the first subjects Dawn started to study in quantity. My question though, is about this Lynnea. She helped SG1 escape… Did you get the crime they were accused of?"

Hammond shifted a bit. "They were accused of helping a criminal evade justice."

"And for that they were sentenced to life without being given an opportunity to defend themselves with logical arguments. SG1 wasn't aware of his crimes nor recognized as someone susceptible to their laws. I mean some cities still have laws about spitting at the sidewalk. My point is that the only single witness to tell you about her crimes was from the prison that has the worst and the best, regardless everyone there is there for life and those without morals seem to rule…" Harriet trailed off and shrugged.

Allen nodded. "When you visit a prison, everyone is guilty, and unless one of the guards brings it up the… culture inside is more susceptible to violent clout then political or even economic pressure. This lady was smart by the sounds of it; she recognized the only way to ensure she wasn't raped or killed. The first place you can trace her travels after the escape was a place that was in dire need of help. How did the memory loss affect the others of that world? What I'm asking is if the memory laps diversely change their personality? It sounds as though you heard a smoke screen that was meant to be there and may have even shared some degree of fact with reality but that doesn't mean it's true and after the way that particular society treated SG1, I'm not sure I would trust their legal system to ferret out the truth. She could have easily been working on a cure to the plague and has different strands in the same area to ensure any vaccine was working as proscribed. I know of many horror stories of when they first started to try and find a cure for small pox and such…" he shivered.

"We're not saying that we don't believe you, we're saying that you were gullible enough to believe the unverified information. For all we know, she could have caused it. She could have been nationalized and told to work or die and simply chose not to… we really don't know and if she is guilty then perhaps it would be best to ensure the memories themselves are removed rather then just blocked for a time. Biology has a tendency to adapt and overcome things like that."

Janet frowns as she was quite aware of some of the atrocities that had occurred to further science.

Hammond was agreeable and asks, "Do you have a method of removing memories?"

"Not us personally but the healer at one of the schools some friends go to does, and there are others that have the ability to go into the mind itself and see the memories before they remove them."

George frowns in thought then sighs. "You are right. I had made several attempts to see SG1. They seemed to be of the mind that it was done and over and there was nothing they could do. They didn't even bother to apologize!" he growled.

"Would it be possible to counteract the aging Jack and Samantha are going thru with this pesticide or maybe if not counter it, reverse it, and will it affect his fertility?"

Janet sighs and gives them an uncertain shrug. "I never got a good look at the data; I was mostly focused on removing the memory blockage."

George sighs, "I guess it is time to make a return visit and maybe talk to Ke'ra. Do you want to contact your people and see about what we can do to ensure she stays Ke'ra if she really is…" he shivered.

Harriet smiles and offers, "I'll go visit the Manor and then Hogwarts." Allen nodded giving her a kiss on the cheek as a leaving greeting.

Janet was frowning in thought. The name Hogwarts sounded familiar but she couldn't place it.

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Harriet found the Hogwarts students when she came thru to the Manor, it was a bit of a relief not to have to navigate the school. She explained the situation and they all agreed to help if they could.

Before they could leave to fetch Madam Pomfrey from Hogwarts Xander arrived home. "Hey Harriet, what's up?"

Harriet smiles and sighs, "The SGC, I guess it's the EDC now, they got the mother ship up and running well enough. They were able to use that new scanner Dawn helped them install but it seems the arm bands the Goa'uld had them test had some kind of viral resurgence. The side effect is that Sam and Jack are aging faster. They told me about some pesticide that could reverse it but they also told me about a woman that helped bring about the massive de-aging of the entire planet, evidently she was called the Destroyer of Worlds while on a prison planet. If she really is we want to make sure the memories are destroyed not just blocked but this is the same planet that imprisoned SG1 with a kangaroo court," she then added with a bland tone, "for life!"

Xander almost flinched at that. "I'll go with you, I don't need a wand" he fingered his collar a bit. "I also have more control within minds. I'll bring the Pensieve Cordelia made."

Cordy had made it in part because they all figured Albus would want his back and in part because it was made out of cytoplast and etched using plasma before she used blood to empower the runes. It looked… more fashionable, but it was larger and had drain ways to store memories. It was also a wonderful tool to educate Eric and Dawnie with.

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Xander came thru the door shortly after Harriet.

Hammond smiles welcomingly at seeing Xander. "Welcome back Mr. LeVelle."

Xander sighs, "Just Xander, please?"

George laughs giving Xander a nod, "Lynnea…. Ke'ra is here, she's understandably nervous, could you explain the process of this?"

"This is a Pensieve." He held the item out for him to see, "I'm going to go into her mind to the area that isn't active and slowly copy the memories to the Pensieve. If they are bad or carry a dark intention I'll destroy the memories as I move them into the Pensieve. This will prevent any bleed over from her seeing the memories but allowing her to know the history of her previous incarnation."

George nods, "I see," he had to ask, "It won't be painful?"

"No," Xander shakes his head before adding the qualifier, "not unless she wishes to see the memories and finds them disturbing."

George smiles and leads Xander into the next room.

"I'm Xander" he said holding out his hand. She takes it and he smiles, she had a kind mind.

"Ke'ra, or Lynnea, I'm not sure…" she was flustered.

"Relax this shouldn't take long and you never know, maybe you'll not have so many unanswered questions."

She sighs with relief and nods at Xander.

Xander pushes his mind into hers, he disliked doing this but as she was willing it was almost as though she was drawing him a map.

Xander quickly found the block and passed it. He was hit by years of torture from the Hadante prison planet. She had turned bitter and angry. He pushed past that earlier and gawked at what he saw.

He reached over and pushed a rune on the side of the bowl and let the memories flow, he deadened the memories emotions for Hadante, and slowly dissolved the blockage. She gasped.

"Relax, you're safe now." He turned, fire blazing in his eyes. "She never created any virus. The government of that planet was experimenting and when she tried to expose them and treat the victims, they used her as a scapegoat turning it around on her. Quite frankly fitting one of those Naquadah bombs thru their gate would be a plus in my book. I deadened the emotional aspect of her prison memories so she'll know what she learned and know who and what but won't have any emotional or personal first hand emotions from that time."

"My god, they…" she was white faced he pulled her into a hug and she cried like a baby.

"You're safe now, they can't get you anymore."

She nodded.

He turned to the General. "I put a lot of information in there. I'll leave the Pensieve here but some of it is personal. You may wish to observe it with care. Needless to say by the time you met her she knew the horrors of what men could do, first hand, and had no mercy for those that would harm others so freely. It was actually SG1's kindness that had her attempting to help where she felt she could and after a prophet on Burgos told her that she would get a second chance to live a life free of the torment she'd faced; some glowing woman named Home Saw or something said there would be the best place. For some reason the memory of that is very fuzzy." he shook his head.

"Oma Desala" Daniel said softly.

Xander points and nods at Daniel, "She looked kind of cute all glowing and all, but that's about all I could tell you on why she was there. By the time her memory was unblocked she had all the horrors of prison life running rampant."

"I see" George felt ill and very used when he realized that she'd been a victim. He was thankful they'd not returned the memories until now, he had never been more then a night in the brig but he'd seen or talked to others that had.

Gesturing to the Pensive George asks, "How long is this on loan?"

Xander grins. "I'd say indefinably but Cordy would kick my ass. I'll work on anther one and as soon as I charge it up I'll come replace it."

George smiles, amused, he'd picked up on tidbits that the young man had four WIVES, young wives that seemed to find nothing to be unhappy with situation and he wasn't one to interfere. The fact that what he heard about some of the planets he'd visited it wasn't uncommon there. Perhaps they needed to look at their own ethnocentrisms. Cordy, was the young woman named Cordelia Chase and seemed to be the den mother of the girls if he remembered right. It made him think of the way his mother had his father wrapped around her finger.

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	8. Glory is finished and The Joyce is calle

The Scooby Gang

Book III: Settling Inn

Disclaimer: I have no property rights to any published or copyrighted material that is reserved to those that make money from ideas which I do not.

Summery: The third book on the now dimensionally stranded Scoobies. With the manor stuck in Yellow Space they utilize the doors to have a life outside the manor as the group grows closer to finding their personal place in multiverse..

Sequel to '_The Scooby Gang Book 1'_ and _'The Scooby Gang Book 2'_

Warning: Multi Ship M/FFF ahead!

Crossovers: Harry Potter, Stargate, Honor Harrington, and Highlander

CHAPTER 8: Glory is finished and _The Joyce_ is called to Manticore

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Sunnydale's Wednesday after Easter, April 18, 2001, Xander Harris was soundly sleeping along side Anya, Tara, and Willow. He woke with a painful start and groaned.

Confused on why he woke up he mutters, "Huh?"

He looks around utterly exhausted. It seemed that the three girls had decided it was a good idea to… claim him. He'd never felt quite so wanted, needed, and well used, in a good way. Anya was just as needy as always, but Tara was a wild cat in bed and Willow, he'd never felt her quite as lovingly as she was the night before.

The entire situation had come at him out of left field and it looked as though the girl that he'd thought of as that sweet shy lesbian was the one behind it. The phrase Buffy had coined during his sophomore year in high school came back to him and he wondered it this was a bonus of the Marcy Hellmouth effect. If it was he wasn't going to complain but he was very sore right now and the damn buzzing was… _**'What the fuck is that?'**_

He hadn't meant to transmit that but Anya woke and asks, "Huh?"

"That damn buzzing is drive… SHIT!" he started moving a bit faster and almost groaned as one of his muscles spasms. He was going to have to talk to Angel and see if he could do that whammy the other Angel did, because he was sure the Hyena would help his body adjust.

"What?" They were all awake now.

"Glory just hit one of the traps, she's feeding right now."

Tara looked wide eyed at him and he realized she suddenly was hit with a replay, the wide eyes was a tell he saw in her last night right before she upped her wild abandon, he groaned again and pulled on his socks.

"Wills can you contact Buffy or Giles and tell them?"

She nodded reaching for the phone and suddenly froze a moment, _**'I meant grabbing a Trump and your leather strap to buzz their mind, I'm not sure they're at home.'**_

Getting over her surprise, she'd forgotten he wore his strap to bed, "Yea!"

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It hadn't really taken much but the affect of the Dagon Sphere and the runic apparatus had hit Glory much more solidly than he'd expected. Buffy, it was so hard to tell which one she was when they were together, hit the goddess with a funky ray gun, he was sure they were zits or something but he couldn't quite think right thru the pain his body was giving him at this moment.

Four shots had weakened the goddess and she looked surprised for some reason. She kept glancing over her shoulder until the sixth shot and then she started to fall. Suddenly out of the shadows Angel rushed her and his fangs were into her neck solidly. It wasn't even ninety seconds and she was fading from existence.

Angel turned and tried to straighten but couldn't quite stand he had the goofiest smile on his face. He smiled at Xander, who was debating if he'd really need to be here.

"Xander?!" drawled out Angel with a great big smile as he staggering towards him. "Did I ever tell you that you're my hero?"

Both Buffys were looking shocked at him; both knew the local history, one a bit more personally.

"No, Angel, you didn't!" Xander told him flatly hiding his slight nervousness. His dad was a drunk and Angel was acting a bit intoxicated so he wondered when the violence was going to start.

"You are! You saved Buffy!" Angel was grinning widely and proudly.

Staggering a bit he tells him loudly, "Shoved a cross in my face, made me feel like I could be a man if I chose to be… to be like you!"

The proud grinning Angel was replaced by a tearful emotional Angel. He pulled Xander into a hug that Xander didn't have the physical strength to wrangle free from as the vampire started to cry.

Buffys, both of them, were laughing and ever so slowly pulling themselves away from the touching humorous scene. Angel would never live this down, of that they were sure.

"Made me think of what I needed to be." He shook his head as if trying to clear the memory, "I stakes fifteen vampires that summer, followed you, your group, while Buffy was with her dad." He shook his head. "Was upset with Buffy when she got back but death makes you do the wacky."

He passed out and Xander sighed with relief. "Not a word" he said harshly to the girls giggling and not quite out of the building yet.

"Sure" the Buffy on the left said, "Hero" the one the right added.

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Xander finally managed Angel through the door to LA, he'd always say it was a joint effort but really it would have been easier if Angel had been completely passed out instead of half way conscious and all the way drunk.

Cordelia seemed to be bemused with the drunken Angel but she could also sense Xander was very uncomfortable so with the sweetest voice she could mockingly muster she asks him, "Are you sure you don't want to stay for a while?"

Xander pales as he mistook her invitation. "No" he said almost sharply her attention was suddenly fully on his pale face. "I need to get him laid down, the girls are home and they'll want to know what's going on, maybe I can take a vacation now that Glory is dead and the vamps are somewhat cleared."

She looked sternly at him amusement in her eyes now that she realized why he was so stiff, at least his back and he walked with a wince. "Girls?" she asked.

He nods with a whine, "Yesterday I get home from work and get pounced; not just by Anya, but Willow and Tara are there. I never knew Tara was such… such a minx!"

Cordelia might have felt some ill towards the witch but with what the new group had brought to light she wouldn't begrudge the boy any love, she'd realized they'd been used in whatever sick games were played and though she didn't necessarily think it was just the Powers she didn't discount their involvement.

"Maybe we should go on vacation, Joyce said that the Blasedale doorway world has some very nice modes of travel and the beaches on Hawaii sound really nice right about now."

Xander nods, "A beach, the nice hot sand on my aching back?" he muttered nods with a smile before turning to the door. "Bye Cordy, I'll be back after I get some rest…" there was a whine to his voice as he adds, "If they let me."

'_**Having a super power of sex sounded nice and cool but Anya wasn't nearly half as wild as Tara! I'm sure that if it was just the other two I wouldn't be nearly as sore… not that it isn't worth it, not by a long shot.'**_

He had a smile as he went thru the doorway back to Sunnydale.

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The group never realized Ben, an orderly working at the local hospital, had suddenly appeared in front of his apartment completely naked. He'd looked down and was shocked to find himself there and he didn't feel that ever present nagging in his subconscious. He rushed to the door and secured the key from the hiding spot, it never would do to not know if he was going to have a key or not, when he was himself again.

Ben would stay in town for about a month. The effect on Glory's victims would be far reaching, it wasn't that they would stay crazy, no without the leaching of their minds, their reality, they would slowly balance out. A side effect of drain and activation of deadzones in their mind would increase their intelligence. The fact that realizing some higher potential in the mind would affect the genetics of their offspring it would give eventual rise to wide spread Psionics. If Glory hadn't fed much before arriving in Sunnydale it wouldn't have been a big deal but she had fed quite often.

The Sunnydale the Scooby gang left Glory had been woken prematurely and didn't feed nearly as often because of it. With being taken care of so soon it left only those in Sunnydale which were spelled to ignore the weird affected. The victims of the most recently destroyed Glory were mostly outside Sunnydale.

With the group high from their success, Giles recommended they follow Cordelia's recommendation for Hawaii by way of Blasedale. It was his hope that some of the inner personal issues would have time to solve in a non hostile fight or flight environment.

"A trip to Hawaii shouldn't be too hard from there. Perhaps Michael and Amy will join us; I believe they could use a break from Mr. Doyle's attention."

Frank Doyle had taken Michael as a semi apprentice when he'd shown an interested in business and as a result Michael was all but running the Blasedale and half of San Vale allowing Frank a bit more time to handle the other worlds subsidiaries. The Doyles however had settled in San Vale and loved it there, it was, home.

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Sunnydale's group was thrilled with vacation away from the Hellmouth, Xander in particular, as he was hoping the girls might issue him a small pardon or at least stay of execution. Nobody missed the formation of the new four way relationship.

Buffy found Xander's complaints of too much of a good thing to be height of amusement. She had been slightly interested and with the issues she and Riley had been having she had again revisited the idea. The last time she'd thought of it seriously had been just before Anya returned to Sunnydale; that relationship had stymied the thought of asking him out. Now however seeing the looks she was sure that if she had she'd have been a lot more distracted, and dead, because she was confident Xander would have been distracted as well… and that distraction would have meant him not saving her life.

Buffy sighed as she got onto the plane, Riley had gone to South America instead of going with the group to Hawaii; she'd hoped they could work out their differences on this vacation but the corn-fed goof had thought this was a perfect 'time to reconnect' with his old crowd. She was sure the shots Dawn had given him to help reverse Maggie's treatments had been motivation if not the full reason.

Buffy smiles thinking of Kendra's looks at her former boyfriend. Kendra had also gone with him. Kendra had been getting a bit antsier and Buffy had been quick to inform the slayer of Riley's status as a free agent, boyfriend and girlfriend wise. Riley was on the market and Buffy let her now she had no solitary claim on him. She'd seen the darker slayer eyeing him enough and knew the group had an open relationship. She'd thought at first Xander would be jealous but he had actually grinned when he'd seen the slayer glancing at Riley after they returned from Iowa.

Buffy realized just then how it was that Xander LeVelle differed to the local Xander Harris at least a bit. She wasn't sure why but she knew that instinctually the younger one was a different shade, still Xander but with a more intelligent application of his efforts. Intelligent verses animalistic response… she was thinking on the treecats and what she knew of these alien creatures. It wasn't much but she knew they were only hunters for food not because they enjoyed the kill. Xander said they did enjoy the hunt but it wasn't because of the kill. Her Xander had said the panther enjoyed the stalk but also enjoyed the rending of flesh as much as the food; he had then assured her that it was an instinctual knowledge not an experience from the panther. She knew then that he'd remembered the Hyena incident but she really couldn't blame him for 'forgetting'.

She said a quick prayer that Riley and Kendra would stay safe and will have a happy hunting. She wasn't into church or religion but she occasionally asked god to look out for people she cared about. After all, if Demons exist then why not angels and gods, good gods?

The complete lack of selfish desire when asking forces, greater than your individual presence, is a key component in bending the forces of nature to a positive affect. Personal or selfish gain isn't a negating influence unless it causes harm to another in nature's forces. Demons for the most part are unnatural therefore it is acceptable to cause them harm or death with your desire or personal force, or ask for harm to be visited upon them by greater forces, so long as this intent isn't selfish then it is a positive aspect of life. It was because of this that a bit of power was pushed from the slayer essence inside Buffy to Riley Finn and Kendra. Kendra didn't even notice it because she already had a full slayer essence inside her. Riley however felt a bit invigorated and glad to be doing something to help innocents, not that he would begrudge the group a vacation, they needed it but it did make him feel… motivated.

Just because Riley was motivated to reconnect to his old unit didn't mean he was going unprepared. He had a portable Door Xander has specially made for him in a pouch on his hip.

"It is de first Doorway" Kendra said to him with a smile, "that is collapsible. De Door itself is cloth with a mostly metal frame. That is not something he's done before."

Riley sighed he'd been glancing at the Door pouch every five minutes or so, he couldn't blame Kendra for her amusement. It reminded him of a dirty-clothes basket, the way the Door folded, but the extendable rods for the side of the Door and the hinge on the top and bottom slightly bothered him that it was a Doorway at all and not some fancy tent. He shrugged it off.

Partially to distract him from his thoughts Kendra asks, "Do day know what they are facing demon wise?"

He nods. "There's a whole tribe of demons that feast on the local human population. There are twenty two in the tribe that they'd counted but it is breeding season and they've found four nests with un-hatched eggs. They have no idea when the eggs will hatch but they believe it will be soon which is why they allowed the human population to grow a bit."

"It does make some sense. I have killed three of these breed before but never a tribe. They would be difficult to defeat for any single slayer, I am glad I am not working alone." She smiles when he shivered a bit and nodded.

He had seen that smile on Buffy before. It told him that Kendra was using innuendo and those last words were innuendo enough.

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"Alexander?" Hill, in charge of Orbital Four, approached Xander as he arrived ready for work. "Steadholder Mayhew has asked for your presence. Evidently you received a communiqué from one Willard Neufsteiler that was routed thru government channels and marked urgent." He shrugged and said, "I know you've mentioned Mr. Neufsteiler before as your financial officer on Manticore so I thought it might be important."

With a sigh Xander thanks him, "Thank you."

H had hoped that any communiqué would be sent out here to read it but he wasn't going to complain about skipping out on work. Of course with the Door it needn't be known he was doing that.

He made his way to _The Joyce_ and then after cleaning up he stepped thru to his Grayson apartment. He'd taken the time to change into his business suit which was used at Cordelia's insistence for meeting with the Steadholder. It took all of an hour to get from Orbital Four to Steadholder Mathew's.

Xander was fairly sure that they (Grayson or Mayhew Steading Intelligence Agencies) knew he had some alternative means of transport. He also knew they didn't ask and he liked to tweak their noses a bit by utilizing it to the point their curiosity will override their decorum and they'll straight out ask. He'd already changed out the Door to be a bit more portable, very similar to Riley's Door. Of course the reason for that was to remove the runic designs from observed perception. They were unnoticed and much more portable. He wondered if he could make them even more so but he put that off he was busy enough with Orbital Four's work.

Taking public transit from his apartment to the Steadholder's Foreign Affairs Office was fairly easy. The Steadholder's Office was like what the governor or the Whitehouse would be so it was a regular route for the public transportation, and the Foreign Affairs office would handle all the post for the Mayhew Steadings which were sent from the Planetary receiving, which was governed by the Protector's palace. Xander approached the office of foreign affairs that usually handled interaction with similar offices in other Steadings but also handled the occasional information delivery from other star nations.

"I was told I have a priority communiqué here from Manticore?"

The man looked up and frowns, "LeVelle Industries sir?"

Xander nods adding, "Xander LeVelle" and offering a hand. It was polite to offer a hand to shake and the man smiled and shook it.

He entered the name on the computer and glanced thru some records. "Your communiqué was delivered to the Steadholder's offices, not to us; we don't exactly have a priority standing for things delivered thru our office." He had a glum humor about his face as he told him that. It was only a chance thing that it was even on the system and only there because the Steadholder had a meticulous and well disciplined personal assistant. In other words he had wanted to make sure Xander would know where to go as the post hadn't come thru normal channels.

Xander sighs and gives the man a nod of thanks. "Thank you, sir." He gave a half bow of the neck before he left. Some customs were easily followed on Grayson where other places it wouldn't be noticed. Only Xander's abilities had shown him the emphasis on the manners he'd been able to cultivate.

As he made his way to the Mayhew's office, he thought, _**'Curiouser and Curiouser. I wonder what Willard wants from me. He wouldn't send an early financial correspondence this way. I never noticed it before but it is almost like going to the governor's office or the White House.'**_

He got thru security with ease, avoiding issues that he could easily pick up on mentally. He got to office he would normally go to meet Michael in, he recognized the personal assistance.

"Hello, sir. I'm Xander LeVelle with LeVelle Industries. I was told the office had a communiqué for me?"

"Yes sir" the sharp surprise was there. The message had only gone out three and half hours ago he wondered idly how it was that Mr. LeVelle found out so fast, he would have to have the office checked for bugs. Not that he would accuse Mr. LeVelle of that…

"I'll let the Steadholder know you're here."

"Xander" a voice sounded, it was surprised and pleased.

"Yes, sir." he said with a smile that was telling.

Michael shook his head. "I hadn't expected you for a few more hours, but this is the sealed communiqué, it was sent thru Sir Anthony Langtry at the Manticore embassy, I'm not sure why they sent it to my office but it's coded to disallow anyone but you from opening it and it needs me or another to stand witness to your receipt."

"Coded?"

"DNA I believe, this is beyond Grayson tech base so I'm not sure."

The reader was a new thing but he wondered at how they got his DNA. It wasn't blood, so much as fingerprint and the DNA of his epithelial which was used to seal the deal when he signed on Manticore. It made sense but he wondered how they got the young Steadholder's fingerprint.

"It looks like I'm needed for a business meeting on Manticore. Willard, my financial adviser for Manticore's assets was asked to set it up, it sounds important sir. I think I'm going to have to go."

He sounded almost sad, Michael noted and then shrugged. "I'm sure you'll be missed but as far I am aware you've only been fine tuning some of the nodes on a biweekly basis, and Captain Hill said they really didn't need it. I'm sure whatever this is, that's it is important."

Xander shrugs. "I have no idea. If I had to guess he was restricted from entering any information that would be deemed confidential. I just wonder why they sent it the way they did."

"Oh that's easy. Our general post has little dependability when it comes to a timely schedule between worlds. The only reason you get yours so quickly is because the man in the foreign affairs has a kid brother on Orbital Four and knows who LeVelle Industries is. Not that he'd purposely lose it or even place undue priority to it, but he pays a bit more attention to the names he knows."

Xander nods and gives him a sigh, "I better go let the other's know. I'll clear out tomorrow. It shouldn't take more then four or five weeks to get there and back provided that it doesn't take long to do whatever this secret project is." he had a humor in his voice.

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It wasn't much of an effort to give the man that had been helping him on occasion, Tyler, instructions on what to look for to align node displacement which was the key maintenance that Xander had claimed responsibility for on the orbital. He hadn't known this but upon his leaving, the other Orbitals would suddenly assign workers to do the same task as Tyler. Tyler got a promotion with his giving the other's instructions using Orbital Four as a guiding point. This increased their output by about three thousand pounds of ore and other minerals they were harvesting from the asteroid field.

"So three weeks of flying to get there and back?"

"Yes, we could make it with two if we pushed the limits of _The_ _Joyce_ but I would prefer to take it easy."

"Thanks Giles. I suppose I should be learning to fly her more comfortably but for some reason it just doesn't seem to click. I could do it but I doubt it would ever be easy with the set up they have here."

Giles agrees, "I'm surprised my self. Janna says that once I got passed my techno phobia that my attention to detail really paid off. I set the course and I figured for the most part we'll be spending time in the manor and such. Have you set the runic sensor up to inform of any encroaching gravity signature?"

"Yea," he nodded. "It's much easier while out of a system and we're going by way of hyper. Even with the runes to protect the ship from being damaged by the grave sheer, I'm not sure I want to test the limits."

Xander shivers at the thought.

Giles smirks and nods. "Yes, I'm sure you don't, at least not personally."

He gives Xander a knowing look. Xander wanted to see it occur but not first hand or to the detriment of another's life.

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Xander found that the second day was mostly spent bored, though he did spend time with Dawnie and Joyce. The 'wives' had set a routine that wasn't interrupted by his mere presence although they did _sleep_ a bit later than usual. The boredom had him playing with another Door pair. It wasn't hard to fabricate an organic material. It was a bit easier to use a carbon based fabrication then it was to use wood grown and cut but the wood he noticed right away was easier for the runes to make use of. This set him to experimenting on which substances would hold a runic charge easiest and he found a combination that included a bit of Naquadah in the completely new cytoplast mixture he created, it was more of an alloy then a cytoplast but most of the synthetic building components were a form of alloy. He'd have to talk to Xander H when they got back from Hawaii. He smiled thinking of the rest that they'd have and how it would affect the group that had been working far too hard.

He knew there was ceramiplast, armorplast, cytoplast, and about a half a dozen other plasts available. He'd thought they were plastics at first and that might be accurate in some aspect of it but then again he knew there was a plastic round of ammunition that could hold form while being fired from a gun, and a knife that would hold an edge so… it really didn't matter much. But the fact was that plastic usually wasn't organic and held no life force and that was most of what the runic empowering made use of. That he knew of anyway.

On the fourth day he was thinking of Grayson and would have made a visit when he noticed that the fog that usually is ever-present from one side to the other was different. Instead of just a dark fog that was ever-present it was a white fog. The foggy edges of the outline of his apartment were still foggy the same as ever, but at the opposite end of the black and white spectrum.

It took most of the day to think of a rune combination to test out why it was a different color. He'd tried several different combinations of runes with little to no new information before he found one to his liking that worked.

"Is there a reason you're sending scouts to your apartment Xander?" Giles asked.

Xander nodded. "Notice the color, or shading of the image we see?"

"It… it looks different, why is it white?" he sounded as confused as Xander had when he started.

"The Doors were made for dimensional transportation. They didn't take into the account the power needed to transfer matter within the same dimensional realm… at least that's my working theory. I'll collect more information as I test it by sending another scout."

"I see." Giles scratched his chin; he never cleaned his glasses anymore, not after seeing his double do it oh so obviously. "What of the Door on Grayson to the Ship while at Orbital Four?"

"Near as I can tell if both Doors are under the strong influence of the same gravity-well, Yeltsin Star. I would think that has some advantages. Right now the two Doors are only in the same galaxy and maybe same arm of the galaxy if they are separated gravimetric forces, but regardless… while at Orbital Four the gravity of Yeltsin is the strongest direct force influencing both Doors."

Giles nodded. He recalled talking about this to a smaller degree when Xander first made the scouts. He had never associated the two items aside from the runes.

"Is there a way to solidify the power needed to transverse from Manticore to Grayson?"

Xander grimaces before shrugging. "I'll see what I can do. It may be that idea of Dawn's, of using a diamond as the center and holder of the runes. It sounds like it's is the best idea so far. But it isn't like we'd need it for the manor."

"I see." Giles nodded. That phrase was much better then 'good lord' for which he still uttered often enough. "It might even be able to be used for something larger than a Door." He states with a gesture.

Xander nods.

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The study of the Doorways lead to a study of wormhole physics from Egeria and a few essays that Harry had written and Egeria had agreed with. They had been added to the library.

The wizard had more understanding of the science behind it than Xander did but Xander didn't mind all that much. The papers helped him understand the mumbo jumbo and he wondered if Harry would be good at writing for comic books as they often had to use the simple explanations for advanced scientific concepts to keep the accuracy and readers' understanding.

It was right before he got to Manticore that he'd finally had a new idea. It had nothing to do with the rune, for the most part, but a new idea all the same. The diamonds that were fabricated were very useful in an empowering circular contraption. It wasn't really a Doorway so much. It was had no handle and the runes had the added benefit of working with the mechanical parts of the circular Doorway.

The size of the tight Doorway was about small enough for Buffy to dive thru, and the enlarging feature was almost like the reverse of a human's iris, it tightened and expanded when opening. The size of the 'Iris Doorway', as he'd titled it, was dependable on how large you set it. The sides of the circle were on a swiveling hinge so the surface of the Door could be turned at an angle. In fact the sides could be extended, which only affected one side, it gave the idea of 'drop troupes' an entirely new meaning.

The largest it could go was to be wall to wall in the ship. In the back yard of the Manor, it was large enough to fit two semi trucks side be side, noses ends first like they were having a face-off, thru it. Xander was sure that the Iris Doorway would be a wonderful method of getting ships out of the back if they needed to; ships and mines, as Egeria was working on drones. He knew from the runic testing that the circles worked best but it was only after he realized that the larger circles needed more energy to utilize the Doorway. The Diamonds helped make the image almost crystal clear where as the largest size had the dark haze or fog inside as per usual.

He tossed the entire apparatus, his newly minted Iris Doorway with stand, thru to his apartment. The second one was fogging but was not nearly as foggy as the whiteout from the Door.

He almost shouted with triumph, "Finally!"

"What dear?" Cordy asks. "What have you been doing all day? Well the last few days really. I'm sorry, with Eric being cared for by Joyce I've been in a mood to shop. The LA near Blasedale has quite the…" she stopped realizing she was making excuses and shrugged sheepishly.

He shrugs with a smile. "That's fine. I just hadn't expected everyone to be quite so busy… myself included."

"So what is that? It looks like a Doorway without a Door."

He nods, pleased, "I used diamonds. Notice the difference in color? The whiteout Door is slowly showing some color from the other side where that looks normal?"

She nodded curious.

"The Door, I think, destabilizes, and has a limited use on both distance and times used. Granted, they will charge up quickly, so if they are used up they won't stay used up but still having the Door fade at the wrong moment?"

She nodded glancing at the Door that had been used quite a bit to Blasedale.

"Do we need to worry?"

He shook his head. "Not really. The issue is solved when you think of LeVelle Manor being zero distance in space and time away from the other Doors. Dawn's blood was used in the runes so the power source was that Key the bitch was after. I think that if she could use it to go home then it must have a very strong reach, and her talent is only one application of that power. No we aren't using that much power to break the dimensional boundaries. I'll add her blood to the top part of the apparatus and her blood will soak into the laser etched runes on the inside of the Iris's frame. Right now the diamond would work but I'd like to save that for distances."

"So it's like a two way Stargate?"

He gives her a smile and shrugs, "In more ways than one. It is only that with these there is a single path where a Stargate is a network. So the network has many possible paths and at each possible computation the path alters. I would imagine that each time the path is calculated the traveler gets an instant download of their current celestial alignment, which is why you feel like you're seeing stars. The fact is that the secondary wormhole is what allows the gates to communicate and send the celestial information to the traveler as well. The open gate isn't needed here. There is no alignment or need to adjust the path so there is no delay and there is no need to dematerialize the traveler to their base energy patterns. That can't be healthy for your soul."

"Why would it be… unhealthy?" she asked

He pauses and tries to think about it before shrugging sheepishly, "I don't know," he admitted, "I would think it was like dieing several times a week but I'm not sure if that would be unhealthy. It's just the thought… okay so I was having a Doctor McCoy moment alright?"

It was sweet that he was so sheepish and referencing Star Trek, she reached over and kissed him, her voice comes thru throaty and with need, "Are you ready for a break?" She reached down and says, "Because the last few days I've built up an immense need!"

He gulps and set the small laser etcher on the table before grabbing her ass and pulling to him and up. She moaned as his erection hit her in that rather sensitive area. However, actual sex was not to be. As the young boy, Eric – now six years old, entered the work area.

"Um Uncle Xander, Grandpa Giles said I was to come and get you."

Cordy moaned and almost glared at Eric. The poor boy lets out an '_Eep'_ sound and rushed out the room.

"I better go. I guess tonight will be… liberating," he said.

His fingers found a spot and a very mild heat pushed out from the tips of his fingers, causing her to scream in orgasm. He smirked at her as he rushed out to see to Giles. The walls to the rooms were sound-proofed, which was a bonus for encouraging sex inside the private rooms, but the work shop wasn't. Not three minutes after Xander left, Joyce, Dawnie, and an amused Dawn arrive to see what the problem was. Cordy was still panting for breath and her pants were soaked, not that they could see the wet spot.

"Are you alright dear?"

"Oh yea" she said throatily. "Where's Xander? I have to pay him back for that last…" she blushed.

Dawnie perks up, "Oh he's with Giles on the ship." The younger Key had a sexual grin on her face as she demanded to know, "So tell us, what was it Xander did?"

Dawnie licked her lips but her mother bumped her before she could hear an answer.

Dawn offers knowingly, "It was the new thing he found he could do with his fingers, wasn't it?" There was a wide smile on her face. "That fire magic is much more useful giving a small amount of heat at the exact location he knows oh-so-well than it is to start fires."

The elder Dawn licked her lips in remarkably the same fashion the now silent Dawn had.

Cordelia shrieks with shocked betrayal, "He's done that before and you didn't share?"

Dawn asks impishly, "Does that mean you're going to punish me?"

Suddenly Joyce's hands covered Dawnie ears.

The upset mother was glaring at them, "Dawnie is far too young for that kind of talk!"

"I am not" the girl said petulantly. "I know all about sex, at least enough to know I want some." She sniffed and stalked out of the door.

Watching her go and feeling helpless Joyce mutters, "Great!"

"At least you know with the five year implant that she won't get pregnant and Xander is likely not to treat her badly. Besides" Cordy said glancing at Dawn, "she might like girls instead of boys for the most part."

Joyce sighs, realizing talking sexual morals with two sex fiends wasn't going to get her anywhere so instead she whines out a plea, "Just be careful she's my baby!"

Cordy nods changing the subject, "What is Xander doing? Eric left before he could say what Giles wanted?"

Dawn looks at her and asks, "You didn't glare at little Eric… did you?"

Cordy tried to look innocent. "I was almost there, and he hadn't even removed clothing. I was very pent up and suddenly he's there. I didn't quite glare at him but I did have cause!"

Dawn smiled and reached over and kissed Cordy on the lips. "Good girls need rewards. Come" she said pulling her hand. "You might want to talk to Dawnie, mom. I don't think Xander is quite ready for her, and I don't think she's quite ready to be in an actual relationship, which would mean it would sour her for it if she does it now."

Joyce sighed and nodded. Dawn was much more mature than even Buffy was, she couldn't see how and quite frankly from what Giles explained to her over a cup of tea and whiskey she didn't want to repeat it, but she somehow knew the other Joyce was in heaven kicking some of asses of idiot Powers.

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	9. Manticore and Beyond

The Scooby Gang

Book III: Settling Inn

Disclaimer: I have no property rights to any published or copyrighted material that is reserved to those that make money from ideas which I do not.

Summery: The third book on the now dimensionally stranded Scoobies. With the manor stuck in Yellow Space they utilize the doors to have a life outside the manor as the group grows closer to finding their personal place in multiverse..

Sequel to '_The Scooby Gang Book 1'_ and _'The Scooby Gang Book 2'_

Warning: Multi Ship M/FFF ahead!

Crossovers: Harry Potter, Stargate, Honor Harrington, and Highlander

CHAPTER 9: Manticore and Beyond

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Taking a Cutter from the docking port down to the surface of Manticore was a very exasperating affair. It made him think of the Iris Doorways and that for some reason triggered a memory of what he saw thru the viewing portal when they rescued Egeria. The ship to surface drops with those ring transports might come in handy. It made a bit more sense as the reason the magical effect were so much better were more aligned with science then magic. _**'Of course Heinlein claimed any significantly advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.'**_ He smirked adding his own take on that quote, _**'Maybe it's just that any significantly advanced understanding can understand magic to the point that it's just another branch of science?'**_

Giles let Willard know that they were incoming and Willard set the appointment with the Admiralty for BuShips. "I'm here for a meeting with Lucy Danvers, she's an admiral, I think."

He scratched his head as he was unsure if she was an admiral or not. After all he only got a second hand instruction on where to go and who to meet.

The woman seemed to blink for a moment and Xander felt the humorous emotion bubbling up inside her as she kept her barring.

"She's in her office right thru there. I'll announce you," she told him kindly.

He sighs with relief and tells her who he is, "Xander LeVelle with LeVelle Industries." He added with smooth humor, "It seems that my financial wizard is hell bent on insuring I'm surprised by whatever they want." He shivered, "I can only hope, with his sense of humor, it's a good surprise."

She giggles a moment and then blushes as she reasserted her barring. It wouldn't be good to lead him into the office laughing.

She led him into the office announcing their entry before actually entering and saw the Admiral sigh with relief.

"Mr. LeVelle, it's good to see you again. I haven't seen you since the presentation at the Weapons Development Board for the BuShips and BuWeaps."

The secretary made her exit regardless of her curiosity.

"Yes." Xander smiles pleasantly at her and adds, "I've been working on acquiring more Naquadah; it isn't exactly an easy process."

Lucy nods, she'd read the report on the safe harvesting methodology for the rare valuable material. She understood that he'd been busy. She'd been tempted to find out where he was but had held off even though she was unsure that ONI, Office of Navel Intelligence, would know where he was.

"I contacted Mr. Neufsteiler because BuShips has found a method of utilizing aspects of the technology you gave us access to."

Xander raised an eyebrow and waved at the chair and she nodded. "Sorry, sit, please. Would you like a drink?"

He shook his head.

"Very well," the admiral continues professionally, "the utilization is different but many of the aspects of those globes you had are utilized in the design."

"I don't see a problem with that. I mean some of the tech is similar, but it isn't the same thing then?"

She winces before shaking her head negative, "By rights everything you presented to the board is your property or the property of the LeVelle Cartel."

Xander gave an uncomfortable cringe, "Industries, where I'm from usually the word 'cartel', is reserved for criminal organizations. LeVelle Industries has offices in other locations that are still that way."

She raises an eyebrow and shrugs. "The issue is that we need to test it. You own the rights to it, and the only way to successfully test it is to install it on the ships we build. And that means that at least the Hauptman Cartel will need to be shown the tech base. This normally wouldn't be an issue because they have a stake in most technology development originations, so keeping it in-house is marginally easy to do. That isn't the case with this, because they have no stake in your c… industry. I have Vice Admiral Adcock, Admiral Courvoisier, Admiral Hemphill, Admiral Sarnow, and Vice Admiral Givens, who are aware either because they were at the weapons board or were briefed on it. All six of us have had our people look over the designs and we want to give the rights to put them into action to the Hauptman Cartel but without your consent we're stuck."

Xander exhaled giving her a nod and asking, "Will I need to meet with anyone or…?"

She gives him an affirmative gesture quickly. "Admiral Courvoisier, Sarnow, and Hemphill wish to go over the designs with you and I think they want to meet you." She smiled a bit.

Xander raises an eyebrow so Admiral Danvers explains, "You made quite an impression your last visit and you should be aware that many of those on the board have differing views on battle strategy."

"You're all admirals. I'd be worried if you all had a fixated view and shared it."

She blinked and smiled slightly. She resisted the urge to ask the wise young man how old he was.

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Xander decided he liked the short man; Raoul Courvosier was a reminder of Buffy for some reason. Perhaps it was his height, maybe the presence he exuded, or maybe it the twinkling mischievous eyes. If it wasn't Buffy then maybe the twin brother's of Ron and Ginny, but Xander hadn't spent much time with the twins. The vitality of life that made him like Buffy in other than sexual ways was fully present in Raoul.

Xander smiles widely and turning to Raoul, "You know, I'm glad they brought you into this, but I don't quite understand why."

Raoul nods, "My job before this was to teach advanced tactics at Saganami Island. They wanted my tactical thoughts on these sited limitations. They wanted to know if it was worth it to revamp the entire fleet. You see they can't use any of the old systems which are used to communicate with our adversaries when they surrender or merchants when they require assistance, both ours and other star nations'. This means twice the systems; twice the training needed for the tech, twice the number of places you can screw up and more peopled will need to man those systems."

Xander gave him a half nod; he wasn't familiar enough with space travel to understand the nuances of their needs first hand and had never served in the chaos of a ship full of crew like these.

"I was called in to see what protocols we can come up with that would be tactically sound and would increase onboard efficiency. We also have to worry about maintaining the tactical advantage if our hardware is taken by the enemy. My job is to poke holes in as many issues that could arise as possible so they can fix them before we use the tech base in the field."

Xander understood that, and tells him, "Glad I don't have your job. I have enough trouble finding issues in my own life with them plastered across my face, to do that to others…?" he shrugged and shivered.

Raoul laughs. "It takes time and experience. If you don't mind my asking, exactly how old are you?"

Xander shrugs his left shoulder and answers honestly, "I'll be eighteen T years old in about a week."

Courvoisier goggles at that. "With _Prolong_ so widely available and its effect on halting the aging process so affectively, I'd have thought you were at least in the late twenties, for T years."

Xander shrugs amusingly. "I didn't get _Prolong_ until a week before the BuWeaps meeting. It wasn't available where I was from, completely isolated tech base; some things are more advanced but others." He shrugged shaking his head negative.

It made a very unusual sense to Raoul and he asked, "Are all your people as intelligent as you seem to be?"

Xander gawked at that, he wasn't what most would think of as intelligent by his own opinion. "I'm not that smart. I had all this explained to me and I have a gift of easily understanding what people mean when they talk to me, but that doesn't mean I invented any of this."

Raoul smiled at the humble protest, it reminded him startlingly of Honor Harrington and math, and gave him the shivers at comparing someone new to _her_.

"Intelligence isn't just inventiveness, even if that's an aspect of it. You already said you understand it easily when people tell you things. That is the mark of a strong intellect. Have you ever come up with something yourself utilizing basic understanding of the aspects of what others came up with? Taken something and made something else?"

Xander shrugs then nods admitting, "A few times."

Xander was thinking of the Doorways and Irises as they were the last thing he did that with, but then again he was the one to recommend utilizing the aspects of tech-base in missiles to downsize their technology.

"That means you have imagination to add to understanding. All you really need Xander is an education. You're slightly ignorant which can be corrected with time and experience and with you I think that those facets of education will come to you. What are your plans for the future?"

Xander shrugs, "I'm harvesting Naquadah right now, it's a full time job but I'm getting tons of it so it isn't a problem that will continue on indefinitely."

Raoul nods, he'd have to inquire what this Naquadah is later. He recalled it was on the brief he'd read but he couldn't put his finger on what it was exactly.

"I meant to say; what are your plans for the future as to furthering your education? You've spent, what, almost a year doing the same job? I bet that you've pretty much perfected your education in that regard. You need to cross train as much as you can to round out your education. With _Prolong_ you are going to live a much longer life."

Xander nods thinking about it. "I've been working on the idea of a building a ship; you know with my own two hands, fabrication to product?"

Raoul smiles nodding at the young man, "You like working with your hands I take it?"

Xander blushes slightly but gives his ascent. "I like building things. I suppose I like blowing things up too." He admitted that last bit with a smirk.

Raoul laughs before changing the subject lightly, "What did you think of Klaus Hauptman?"

Raoul realized Xander was just a boy still working at being a man, even if he was doing a damn fine job of it.

Xander gave a gesture. "I'm not sure." Clarifying his 'non answer' he elucidates on what he is so unsure about, "I get this feeling that he's a short sighted rough-it rich boy that never grew up! Sorry…"

Raoul didn't laugh, though he found it funny. "That's about right. I've heard that he's very caring to his employees, considers them extended family. I don't know if I'd say he was a good man but he could be."

Xander nodded. "I wouldn't say he was a bad guy… no villain. And if I saw someone ready to beat the crap out of him, unless I knew what was going on, I'd help him out. There are quite a few I wouldn't."

Raoul nods with a grin, "Same for me. I know quite a few I would likely let them settle the balance before I stepped in."

"He seemed to be a bit fixated on the idea that he would be leasing the technology and wouldn't be able to reproduce it outside of military ships."

Raoul nods he wasn't surprised at Xander picking that up after all he was bright lad, he decided to explain what Xander was fishing for, "He has a merchant fleet that could make good use of the communications tech but he knew that was lost going in, there was far too much risk. We are going to put in the receivers for it so they can work without the encryption on civilian channels."

Xander understood. "I didn't see an issue with that, and really I didn't see that much of an issue with the other. Eventually you'll be able to set it up to tell when anyone is listening; the established contact protocols should be a leg up on it."

Raoul was not a technology expert so shrugged. "Don't know and they might but it would be better to ensure the system works before trying to negotiate into civilian use."

"I'm just glad they won't interfere with the orbs."

"Why is that?"

"Oh, I sold one to the captain at the BuWeaps development board. A couple of them actually; so she could stay in contact with her mother and father on Sphinx while she's gallivanting around the local verse. I'd hate have them unable to work on ship."

Raoul lifts an eyebrow. "Wasn't the only captain there Captain Harrington?"

Xander nods with a grin, he could tell the man knew her and was amused at their acquaintance, "She set me up with Willard, my financial wizard as partial payment. They don't really cost that much to make and unless you know how to operate them you'll think they are some kind of baseball or some adult toy and not think of it as advanced technology."

He smiled and nodded.

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Xander entered the Manor slightly intoxicated. He'd only had two beers, his personal limit, and he had plans on obtaining an inhaler that would remove the intoxicating effects just in case. The only people at the manor who really drink were Joyce, Giles, and Janna, and even then it wasn't enough to get drunk.

He sat with a thump and Giles looked up.

"Are you unwell?" he asked looking the young man over.

"Had two beers with Admiral Courvoisier… Raoul" He corrected, he'd been asked to call him that name instead of his military title. "I'm a bit tipsy."

Giles smiles slightly, "I see." He knew Xander's father had problems with alcohol. It was good to see the young lad didn't allow that to impede upon him.

"We signed contracts today. They have a communication system that is neigh instantaneous within the system and takes seconds lag time within twenty light years of the local system's gravitational well. They're having the Hauptman Cartel put them into the ships when they build them as an added secondary comm. system."

Giles nods at the younger man, "And they wished to have our authorization to inform this other organization?"

Xander was pleased his mentor had caught that. "Usually the cartel is at least partial owner of the systems they use which provides some leeway. This was something that had never really come up before. I'm going to rent an apartment here for the next five years and leave one of the Irises here."

Giles is supportive of the idea, "That might be a good thing; are you planning on informing Willard?"

Xander pauses giving Giles a tipsy shrug. "He's a good man. I have no qualms about informing him of the Iris."

"Wonderful."

He liked the other man, it was like some of the friends he had in London before he left to Sunnydale.

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Xander approaches Willard's office.

The man looked out at him and widened his smiled. "Xander" he opened the door for him. "How was the meeting with the Admiralty?"

"It was good, Willard. You feel up to a break? I set up an apartment and wanted to introduce you to the rest of my family."

He looks around and shrugs. "Julie can take care of the office for the rest of the day."

The woman, Xander assumed was named Julie, nodded pleasantly.

"Great!" he smiled.

Willard grabs his coat and Xander asks as they leave, "I'm going to need to add the Grayson's information to the financials you have, if that's alright?"

Willard nods, "That's fine, are you planning on me handling accounts there or moving money back and forth?"

Xander shrugs and tells him, "I'd like to keep a balance. So if you move money out of a semi enclosed economic system I'd like there to be a significant reason or balance, such as an import of products that will help their standard of living."

The man smiled, the young man wasn't an economist but he had some basic understanding and didn't want to hurt the Grayson economy.

"I'll make sure that anything I do will have a counter balance to ensure it doesn't harm their economy."

Xander smiles that Willard understood his desire. It was about twenty minutes before they got to the apartment parking and the air car slid into the slot for his apartment.

"When I leave, you'll have the keys to the apartment." He said getting out and Willard frowned not understanding.

With a smile at the frowning man he tells him, "You'll see in a moment."

They entered the apartment and the 'art' caught Willard's attention.

"What is that?" he asked.

"This is an Iris. I've just developed them. This one should allow transportation to Grayson once I set the other one up at the apartment there. Right now the other side is between places."

"Between…" he gawked as the man stepped thru, and then waved Willard, _from_ the other side, to follow.

Willard gulps before following him. There was no uneasy sensation as he'd expected.

Glancing back at the iris he can't help but say, "Wow!"

"Indeed." Xander smirked. "I wasn't born in your realm. When I say that I mean I was born in a different realm on Earth in the year 1980. That's 1980 Anno Domini."

Willard had to grab the wall to stop the world from spinning as he realized the boy was the truth, "Good god!" He muttered.

Xander smiles at him, "The world is older then people think. By world I mean our prime world, the world which we sprung from, Earth. My family was part of a group that fought against the darkness plaguing humanity. I don't mean the peeps, _they're_ just humans. Not that all things not human are part of the darkness…" he enumerated.

He waved him out and they went outside. Willard just stared gawking at the yellowish red space that seemed almost unnatural in its vastness, or maybe a natural as a single ship on open sea.

He asks his host, "That's really there isn't it?"

Xander nods. "This is Giles, Janna, Joyce, Dawn, Egeria, Angel, and Dawnie." He pointed at the large bird-like creature that was coming in for a landing. "The hippogriff is Buckbeak." He walked over giving a half bow and then rubbing the creature's beak fondly.

Weakly he tastes the name, "Hippogriff?"

Xander nods, "Yea he's our resident guardian, aren't you little fella?"

Willard was at a loss for words.

"Come and say hi, just bow before you do."

He did and smiled as the feeling of the soft down of the feathers.

With fondness he utters, "Quite amazing!"

Xander nods and the rest of the meeting went very well. Willard realized why he had to start from scratch with Xander and the LeVelle industries.

They were leaving two Irises in the apartment, one to the Manor and one to Grayson. Xander had already went thru and set it up from the manor's Iris. He'd sent one thru the Doorway already but it was just in the middle of the room. He'd also given Willard a warning about eating the food or breathing the air on Grayson due to the heavy metals there. He'd been appalled but understood.

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_The_ _Joyce_ was ready to leave the docking bay. Everything had been seen to on Manticore and they were ready to head back to Grayson. Xander was there to observe Giles actions as the docking was something that he still needed to learn.

Dawnie comes rushing out of the Iris from the Manor and her voice is laden with excitement, "There's a ship in the yellow space!"

Dawnie doesn't wait for them she rushes back thru the Iris her job done and she really didn't want to be on the ship, not when she could miss something happening in Yellow Space, why she says yellow instead of yellow-red, red-yellow, or even Manor's Space, he didn't know.

Giles gapes at the Iris Dawnie just left for almost a full minute before rushing after Xander who had already started for the Manor's Iris.

Joyce would remain docked easily for a few moments longer at least.

The End


End file.
